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MATERNITY 

Without   S  u  ffe  ring 

These  chapters  do  not  promise  to  free  the  hour  of  mater- 
nity from  all  pain,  but  they  do  make  suggestions  which 
will  prevent  much  sufiFering. 


Mrs.    Emma  F.   Angell   Drake,   M.  D. 

Author  of  "what  A  Young  Wife  Ought  tb  Know"  ($1000 
Prize  Book),  and  "What  A  Woman  of  Forty-five  Ought 
to  Know." 


Graduate  of  Boston  University  Medical  College;  formerly 
Physician  and  Principal  of  Mr.  Moody's  School  at  North- 
field,  Mass. ;  Professor  of  Obstetrics  at  Denver  Homeo- 
pathic Medical  School  and  Hospital. 


Philadelphia,  Pa.:  1134  Real  Estate  Trust  Building 

the;  vir  pubivIShing  company 

lyONDON  :   Imperial  Arcade,  I<udgate  Circus,  E.  C. 


Toronto  :  Wm.  Briggs,  33  RicnMOND  Street,  West 


Copyright,  1902,  by  SYI,VANUS  ST  ATX. 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  I<ondon,  England, 
Protected  by    International   copyright  in    Great 
Britain  and  all  her  colonies,  and,  under  the  provis- 
ions of  the  Berne  Convention,  in  Belgium,  France, 
Germany,  Italy,  Spain,  Switzerland,  Tunis,  Hayti, 
I<uxembourg,  Monaco,  Norway,  and  Japan. 

ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 
(Printed  in  the  United  States). 

DEDICATED 

TO  THE  WIVES  WHO  EXALT 

MOTHERHOOD,  AND  WHO  SEE  IN  ITS 

GREAT    PRIVILEGES    AND   HIGH   DUTIES 

INFINITE     POSSIBILITIES    FOR 

FUTURE    GENERATIONS 


Contents 


CHAPTER  I 
HEALTHFULNKSS  OF  CHILD-BEAEING 

A  wrong  notion  about  child-bearing  corrected — Dan- 
gerous subterfuges — Contrast  between  willing  and 
unwilling  mothers — Ennobling  maternity     -        -        13 

CHAPTER  II 

CAUSES  OP  PAINFUL  PAETUEITION 

A  deploring  condition — The  reasons  for  painful  par- 
turition— Things  that  the  wife  should  remember — 
Suggestions  for  proper  exercise — Errors  in  diet — A 
proper  regimen — A  contributing  cause  to  pain       -        19 

CHAPTER  III 

18  PAINLESS  PAETUBITION  POSSIBLE? 

Rational  methods  for  alleviating  suffering — Opinions 
of  scientists  and  physicians — Reasons  why  some 
women  have  painless  child-bearing — The  author's 
experience  as  a  physician — The  conditions  neces- 
sary for  painless  maternity — Possibilities  of  joyful 
motherhood        _______        26 

5 


6  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  IV 

DANGER  OF  EXTREME  METHODS  IN  PEEGNANCY 

The  naturalness  of  child-bearing — Effects  of  bad  ad- 
visers— Childbirth  not  sickness — Contributing  fac- 
tors of  antenatal  infanticide — Nothing  to  dread  in 
normal  childbirth — Extreme  methods  not  neces- 
sary ---------        zi 

CHAPTER  V 

THE  CBIME  OF  PRENATAL  MURDER 

Prenatal  murder  defined — The  enormity  of  the  sin — 
The  day  of  reckoning — Words  of  warning — The 
mother's  accomplice — How  often  to  have  children 
— Dangerous  practices — The  necessity  of  knowledge,        46 

CHAPTER   VI 

STATE  OP  MIND  DURING  PREGNANCY 

Importance  of  a  proper  state  of  mind — How  to  make 
one's  life  noble — The  first  steps  in  meddlesome 
midwifery — The  high  plane  of  motherhood — An 
example  of  a  true  mother    -----        54 

CHAPTER  VII 

PREPARATION  FOE  MOTHERHOOD 

The  necessary  preparation — Exercise  to  be  zealously 
sought — Assuming  home  duties — Learning  the 
mystery  of  domestic  science — The  best  exercise — 
Some  aids  to  physical  development — Dress  during 
pregnancy — The  how  and  when  to  bathe — Care  of 
the  breasts  and  abdomen — Choice  of  the  physician 
aud  nurse — The  husband's  part    -        -        -        -        61 


CONTENTS  1 

CHAPTER  VIII 

AILMENTS  OF  PEEGNANCY 

Troublesome  ills — How  to  avoid  morning  sickness — 
Heartburn  and  how  to  cure  it — Ck)nstipation — The 
prevention  and  treatment  of  piles — Other  ills — 
Causes  of  nervous  apprehension — Other  mental  con- 
ditions— Birthmarks — Threatened  miscarriage       -        75 

CHAPTER  IX 

HEREDITY,  PREDISPOSITION  AND  ENVIRONMENT 

The  law  of  heredity  defined — The  mother's  influence 
on  the  destiny  of  the  child — A  profitable  study — 
What  a  mother  can  do  for  her  children — Reasons 
why  later  children  are  stronger  and  brighter         -        84 

CHAPTER  X 

THE  LYING  IN  CHAMBER 

The  furnishings  of  the  room — The  preparation  of  the 
bed — The  mother's  dress — The  articles  necessary — 
After  the  advent  of  the  baby — The  necessity  of 
knowledge  at  this  time — ^The  disturbing  things     -        93 

CHAPTER  XI 

SIGNS  OF  PREGNANCY  AND  THE  BIRTH 

The  rational  or  presumptive  signs — The  time  in  reck- 
oning— The  duration  of  pregnancy — Some  excep- 
tional cases — A  promise  to  be  claimed — The  dis- 
turbing stage  of  labor — Valuable  suggestions— Di- 
rections for  the  nurse — Propriety  of  antesthetics     -      100 


8  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XII 

baby's  waedeobe 

Appalling  extravagance  rebuked — Fine  clothes  not 
necessary — The  requisite  articles  enumerated — 
Directions  for  their  making — Things  to  be  remem- 
bered        --------110 

CHAPTER  XIII 

WHAT  SHALL  I  DO  FOE  THE  BABY? 

Baby's  first  trunk — The  first  toilet — Dressing  the 
baby  for  the  first  time — Ensuring  a  night's  rest — 
The  baby's  cradle — Regulating  hours  of  eating  and 
Bleeping — The  proper  kind  of  food       -       _       _      113 


Introduction 


Is  THERE  a  need  for  such  books  as  this? 
This  question  is  answered  when  we  consider 
the  multitude  of  young  wives  who  come  to 
wifehood  and  motherhood  wholly  untaught, 
and  who  lament  their  ignorance.  A  fine  illus- 
tration of  this  was  witnessed  in  one  of  our 
best  known  higher  institutions  of  learning. 
Several  young  women  from  the  senior  class, 
who  expected  to  marry  as  soon  as  they  were 
out  of  college,  interviewed  a  loved  and  trusted 
teacher,  and  said  to  her :  "  Why  are  we  not 
taught,  among  all  the  branches  which  occupy 
our  time  for  four  years,  something  which  will 
fit  us  for  the  high  responsibilities  of  wifehood 
and  motherhood  ?  Why  are  these  things  so 
neglected  for  studies  that  can  never  be  of  the 
practical  value  to  us  that  knowledge  along 
these  lines  would  be  ?  We  are  wholly  unfit  to 
enter  upon  the  duties  of  married  life  because 
9 


10  INTRODUCTION 

we  know  nothing  about  them  in  a  helpful, 
wise  way." 

The  teacher  responded :  "  I  realize  your  sit- 
uation exactly  and  deplore  it,  I  can  assure 
you.  I  have  long  believed  that  something 
definite  and  positive  should  be  done  to  fit 
young  men  and  young  women  for  parenthood, 
and  I  believe  the  college  is  the  place  for  it, 
since  it  is  not  taught  at  home,  where  it  should 
first  be  taught.  Let  us  go  to  the  college 
physician  and  see  what  he  thinks  of  it,  and 
perhaps  he  will  suggest  a  way  out." 

This  they  did,  and  the  result  was  a  carefully 
planned  course  of  lectures  to  a  voluntary  class, 
and  out  of  this  has  grown  an  established 
course  in  sexual  physiology,  which  all  are  now 
expected  to  attend,  in  the  higher  classes. 
This  is  a  long  step  and  one  which  bodes  well 
for  our  future  generations.  What  we  are 
longing  to  see  is  such  a  course  in  all  our  high 
schools  and  colleges  throughout  our  broad 
land.  While  there  is  such  ignorance,  and 
while  there  is  a  cry  for  information  from  the 
young  women  who  are  so  soon  to  be  wives, 
there  is  great  need  of  books  along  these  neg- 
lected lines. 

This  is  advanced  information  which  should 


INTRODUCTION  U 

follow  much  of  a  more  elementary  character, 
and  which,  we  heartily  believe,  the  schools 
will  soon  supply. 

With  this  reason  as  an  introduction,  we  send 
out  our  little  book,  trusting  that  it  may  fill  a 
felt  want,  and  teach  some  of  the  things  that  it 
is  necessary  to  know  to  become  intelligent 
mothers. 

Emma  F.  Angell  Deake. 

Denver,  Colorado. 
March,  1902. 


Maternity  Without 
Suffering 


CHAPTEK  I 

HEALTHFULNESS   OF   CHILD-BEAEING 

A  NOTION  has  become  prevalent  that  a 
woman  in  bearing  children  must  necessarily 
give  with  each  one  some  portion  of  her  health 
and  vigor,  and  in  the  end  be  depleted  by  so 
much.  It  is  forgotten  that  woman,  to  be  the 
perfect  creature  planned  of  God,  must  be  the 
mother  of  children ;  and  in  the  plan,  ample 
provision  has  been  made  for  all  the  demands 
upon  her  strength,  that  she  may  attain  and 
retain  all  of  physical,  moral  and  spiritual 
power  that  goes  to  make  up  perfected  woman- 
hood, while  she  nourishes  into  being  the  little 
ones  who  shall  call  her  mother. 

To-day  much  of  her  strength  is  wasted  in 

13 


14  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

doing  that  which  is  not  worth  while,  and  for 
the  great  realities  of  life,  the  emergencies 
which  must  be  met,  she  has  little  left.  Living 
naturally,  and  conserving  her  powers,  she 
should  gain  something  of  strength  and  vigor 
with  each  little  one  she  gives  birth  to.  Those 
who  have  observed  carefully  the  results  of 
child-bearing  have  confirmed  by  statistical 
data  the  truth  that  the  probability  of  long  life 
is  increased  by  the  recurrence  of  pregnancy ; 
and,  further,  that  the  child-bearing  period  is 
one  of  increased  health,  if  nature  be  not  tam- 
pered with  and  violated. 

Again  it  has  been  proven  that,  all  other 
things  being  equal,  married  women  who  bear 
children,  unmolested,  live  longer  than  single 
women.  As  an  old  writer  has  put  it,  "  Mar- 
riage and  maternity  may  be  regarded  as 
among  the  covenants  of  nature,  and  this  is 
demonstrated  by  the  greater  health  and  lon- 
gevity of  those  who  keep  the  covenant  inviolate." 

Pregnancy,  when  considered  in  its  true  light, 
is  but  a  modified  condition  of  the  system,  and 
not  a  diseased  condition.  Whenever  disease  is 
present  it  must  be  regarded  as  a  complication 
of  pregnancy,  and  not  a  natural  sequence. 

At  the  bottom  of  many  cases   of   pre-natal 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  15 

infanticide,  we  believe,  might  be  found  this 
fallacious  notion,  that  child-bearing  is  un- 
healthful  and  so  the  dangerous  subterfuge  is 
resorted  to,  namely,  prevention,  or  abortion 
after  conception  has  really  taken  place.  Were 
it  possible  to  discover  the  dwarfed  souls  and 
diseased  bodies  of  mothers  and  children  di- 
rectly traceable  to  this  unholy  and  unwomanly 
procedure,  those  who  premeditate  entering 
their  ranks  would  stand  appalled  upon  the 
threshold  of  daring  and  turn  bacli,  willing  to 
take  upon  themselves  the  blessedness  and  com- 
fort of  large  families  of  children,  even  though 
responsibility  and  care  were  involved,  and 
drive  them  in  their  belated  love  for  the  little 
ones,  nearer  to  the  God  of  all  power  for  their 
comfort  and  girding. 

Compare  the  lives  of  two  such  women,  one 
from  each  class. 

The  first  is  sickly  in  soul  and  body.  The 
children  whom  she  has  reluctantly  borne  or 
that  have  perhaps  been  taken  from  her,  trained 
by  the  nervous,  broken-down  mother,  with  her 
mind  preoccupied  and  her  temper  soured,  or 
well  on  the  way  toward  it,  they  are  no  credit 
to  their  parents.  And  they,  poor  children, 
robbed  of  their  birthright,  a  joyous  welcome 


16  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

and  the  best  training  possible,  a  sorry  future 
is  before  them. 

The  second,  a  willing  mother,  she  grows 
sweeter  and  more  lovably  womanful,  as  each 
little  one  is  hugged  to  her  heart.  Her  life  is 
given  to  them  and  their  highest  training  daily, 
and  that  means  her  own  improvement  and 
larger  culture.  With  what  delight  she 
watches  her  children  as  they  go  out  to  homes 
of  their  own,  and  win  distinction  in  the  com- 
munity, living  out  the  training  of  their  faithful 
parents.  How  can  her  declining  years  be  other 
than  joyous,  when  her  children  rise  up  to  call 
her  blessed,  and  her  children's  children  gatlier 
around  her  ? 

Are  the  pictures  too  extreme,  and  is  the 
shadow  in  the  background  of  the  one  too  deep, 
and  the  sunshine  of  the  other  too  intense  ? 
No.  The  half  has  not,  nor  can  be  put  upon  the 
canvas.  Study  them  carefully  for  yourself 
and  you  will  see. 

Do  we  call  a  rose-bush  unhealthy  when  it 
buds  and  blossoms  in  its  set  seasons  ?  No  ;  but 
rather  healthy.  We  rightly  consider  it  only 
a  cumberer  of  the  ground,  as  did  Christ  the 
barren  fig-tree,  if  it  put  out  each  year, 
"  Nothing  but  leaves." 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERINa  17 

Everything  in  a  true  woman's  phj'^sical 
nature  tends  toward  maternity,  and  only  with 
a  wrench  that  does  violence  to  her  higher 
nature  and  physical  well-being,  can  she  tear 
herself  away  from  it.  With  this  true,  foUoAv- 
ing  nature  in  her  creation,  how  can  child-bear- 
ing be  other  than  healthful  ? 

I  know  many  of  my  readers  will  say  to 
themselves,  "  Oh,  but  what  of  the  women, 
worn  and  tired  and  dragged-out,  who  are  com- 
pelled to  bear  a  child,  whether  physically  able 
or  not,  every  eighteen  months  or  less  ? " 
These  are  indeed  to  be  pitied,  for  they  are 
ignorant  of  the  better  way,  and  we  must  more 
and  more  give  ourselves  to  enlightening  such 
and  making  better  their  condition  ;  but  this  can 
never  be  done  by  shirking  maternity  ourselves, 
but  by  ennobling  it,  and  accepting  its  high  re- 
sponsibilities and  unfolding  its  blessings  with 
joyfulness. 

Better  far,  physically  as  well  as  morally,  to 
bear  a  child  every  two  years  happily,  than  to 
attempt  to  thwart  nature  once,  by  practicing 
the  devices  in  child  destruction  which  she 
fancies  she  has  mastered,  while  at  the  same 
time  she  lives  in  bondage  from  month  to  month, 
lest  the  results  she  seeks  fail  her. 


18  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

Remember  that  the  mind  has  much  to  do 
with  the  physical  condition,  and  the  rebellion 
against  large  families  is  in  the  air.  How  then 
can  we  wonder  that  the  body  is  broken  down, 
when  the  mind  is  continually  expecting  it  to 
be  so.  If  the  mind  be  at  war  with  the  natural 
functions  of  the  body,  how  can  the  results  be 
other  than  detrimental  ? 

Again,  the  constant  recurrence  of  menstrua- 
tion, from  month  to  month,  from  year  to  year, 
in  those  who  bear  no  children,  or  but  one  or 
two,  is  without  doubt  a  greater  strain  upon 
Avoman  physically,  than  the  bearing  and  rear- 
ing a  reasonable  number  of  children.  Add  to 
this  the  diversion  from  self,  the  entertainment, 
the  youth-inviting  inspiration  which  children 
give,  as  compared  with  the  dolorous  sameness 
of  a  woman's  life  when  left  to  herself  and  her 
own  amusement  continually,  and  another  fac- 
tor of  healthfulness  is  added  to  the  already 
long  list. 

Looking  toward  marriage  as  coupled  with 
motherhood  and  a  family  limited  only  by 
proper  self-control  in  the  marriage  relation,  is 
the  only  correct  mental  and  moral  attitude  of 
the  true  woman  and  the  true  man. 


CHAPTER  II 

CAUSES   OF  PAINFUL  PARTURITION 

We  must  acknowledge  it  to  be  a  fact  that 
the  women  in  civilized  countries  suffer  far 
more  at  childbirth,  than  women  of  heathen 
lands.  It  is  hard  to  be  believed  that  with  our 
boasted  civilization  we  have  allowed  such  a 
much-to-be-deplored  condition  of  things  to  be- 
come a  fact. 

What  has  brought  about  this  state  of 
things  ?  we  may  well  enquire.  First,  it  is  not 
a  product  alone  of  the  present  generation,  but 
is  the  combined  outgrowth  of  faults  dating  as 
far  back  as,  perhaps  mother  Eve's  day,  and 
bearing  a  close  relationship  to  her  transgres- 
sion. "Terrible,-'  do  you  say?  "that  all 
women  should  suffer  for  the  sin  of  one." 
Yes :  but  no  more  terrible  than  many  other 
things  that  we  cannot  explain,  and  which 
bring  not  evil,  but  good  to  the  human  race. 
A  beautiful  truth,  set  right  beside  that  which 
seems  so  terrible,  is  a  greater  thing,  that  the 

19 


20  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

nearer  we  get  to  the  heart  of  God  and  under- 
stand His  purposes  for  man,  the  less  do  we 
murmur  at  the  results  of  the  curse. 

As  the  first  cause  of  painful  parturition  we 
would  put,  the  physical  defects  inherited  from 
our  ancestors ;  and  right  beside  this  we  would 
place,  written  so  large  that  all  the  world 
might  read  it,  the  truth  that  much,  of  this  in- 
heritance can  be  shuffled  off,  by  care  and 
painstaking  in  the  present  generation.  The 
second  cause  is  errors  in  dress,  which  women 
from  want  of  thought  have  fallen  into.  In 
no  place  does  this  little  couplet, 

"  Evil  is  wrought  by  want  of  tho't 
As  much  as  by  want  of  care," 

fit  more  aptly  than  here. 

If  you  can  induce  a  woman  to  listen  to  a 
wise  teacher  of  physical  culture  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  dress  and  its  evils,  she  is  appalled  at  her 
unwisdom  in  that  very  common  and  necessary 
thing,  dress.  The  chances  are  that  she  will, 
from  the  discomfort  which  the  truth  has  given 
her,  begin  a  reform  which  will  work  wonders 
for  herself  and  cause  her  to  aid  in  bringing 
about  a  general  and  healthy  reformation  in 
woman's  wearing  apparel.     The  day  of  better 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFEBINQ  21 

things  has  already  dawned,  and  the  morning  is 
sufficiently  bright  to  predict  an  approach- 
ing noonday  for  the  present  generation  of 
girls. 

Among  the  greatest  of  the  evils  of  dress 
must  be  placed  the  much  discussed,  and  much, 
but  not  too  much,  berated  corset.  This  instru- 
ment of  torture  is  answerable  for  the  un- 
natural figure,  which  promises  suffering  in  pro- 
portion to  the  deformity  wrought.  The  mus- 
cles which  are  directly  concerned  in  delivery, 
and  for  maintaining  vigor  and  naturalness  of 
form,  are  weakened  and  rendered  almost  use- 
less by  the  corset.  A  determined  effort  made 
by  the  woman,  from  the  time  when  she  dis- 
covers herself  pregnant  to  the  close,  will  in 
large  measure  reinvigorate  these  much  abused 
muscles,  and  fit  them  for  service  when  needed. 
But  more  will  be  said  upon  this  subject  in 
other  chapters. 

A  third  cause  is  found  in  the  lack  of  proper 
exercise  by  those  who  are  pregnant.  A  wrong 
notion  obtains  that  it  is  highly  improper  for  a 
woman  with  child,  when  her  form  begins  to  be 
noticeably  large,  to  be  seen  in  public;  hence 
she  shuts  herself  in  and  denies  herself  the  ex- 
ercise and  change  which  she  so  much  needs. 


22  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

Let  every  pregnant  woman  in  wedlock  remem- 
ber that  it  is  an  honorable  condition,  and 
dress  suitably,  and  take  all  the  exercise  she 
should,  at  any  time  of  the  day  when  most  de- 
sired and  most  easily  taken.  Think  it  entirely 
right  yourself,  and  the  chances  are  that  you 
will  make  others  think  so. 

Any  exercise  which  tends  to  develop  the 
muscles  of  the  abdomen  is  helpful,  such  as 
standing  erect  and  without  bending  the  knees, 
reaching  over  and  attempting  to  touch  the 
finger-tips  to  the  floor.  This  is  not  possible  at 
first,  but  can  be  done  by  continued  practice, 
and  will  do  great  things  in  strengthening  the 
expulsive  muscles.  Compel  yourself  to  sit 
perfectly  erect  without  the  aid  of  a  corset,  and 
see  how  soon  the  imprisoned  muscles  of  the 
waist  and  abdomen  will  rejoice  in  their  free- 
dom, and  give  you  suppleness,  strength,  and 
grace  in  exchange  for  the  abuse  which  you 
have  hitherto  heaped  upon  them. 

Again,  with  hands  on  the  hips,  bend  for- 
ward and  backward  as  far  as  possible  without 
straining  and  fatigue,  and  then  from  side  to 
side.  You  will  soon  find  a  marked  difference 
in  these  muscles  which  had  depended  upon  the 
corset  for  support,  and  for  this  reason  had  be- 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  23 

come  comparatively  useless.  Rubbing,  knead- 
ing and  spatting  these  muscles  will  quicken 
their  circulation  and  add  to  their  strength. 

But  by  far  the  finest  exercise  obtainable  is 
found  in.  the  regular  duties  of  the  household, 
and  the  pregnant  woman  should  not  excuse 
herself  from  it  up  to  the  very  last. 

Fourth:  Errors  in  diet  will  work  havoc 
with  the  pregnant.  The  stomach  must  be 
well  to  insure  proper  nourishment  for  mother 
and  child,  and  to  keep  the  whole  system  in 
good  condition.  The  famous  case  of  Mrs. 
Rowbotham,  the  wife  of  the  London  chemist, 
whose  husband  experimented  in  foods  for  the 
pregnant,  that  would  prevent  bone  formation, 
has  been  widely  told.  His  wife  having  suf- 
fered agonies  during  previous  births,  after 
following  his  regimen  for  several  weeks,  gave 
birth  to  a  child  whose  bones  were  not  much 
more  than  mere  gristle.  According  to  the 
history  of  the  case,  after  that  birth  the  mother 
changed  her  diet  to  foods  containing  bone- 
making  material  in  greater  abundance  and  the 
child  made  bone  rapidly. 

The  diet  at  first  prescribed  was  largely  of 
fruit,  as  apples,  oranges,  lemons,  of  which 
latter   she   took   the   juice   of    several   daily, 


24  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

mixed  with  molasses  or  sugar.  She  ate  little 
meat  or  bread,  but  aside  from  the  fruit,  vege- 
tables were  the  principal  food. 

When  we  contrast  this  with  her  former 
mode  of  living,  we  do  not  wonder  at  the 
change.  Let  me  quote  from  the  report  of  the 
case.  "During  former  pregnancies,  she  sub- 
sisted very  largely  upon  bread,  puddings,  pies, 
and  all  kinds  of  pastry,  having  an  idea  that 
solid  foods  of  this  kind  were  necessary  to  sup- 
port the  foetus." 

Plain,  unstimulating  food  such  as  fruits, 
vegetables,  a  small  amount  of  meat  once  daily, 
and  simple  puddings  for  dessert,  are  unques- 
tionably the  best  regimen  for  all  the  members 
of  a  well-regulated  family,  and  so  fed,  there 
need  be  little,  if  any,  change  made  for  the 
prospective  mother. 

A  last  and  largely  contributing  cause  to 
pain  in  delivery,  is  the  state  of  mind  of  the 
pregnant  woman.  If  she  allows  herself  to  be 
influenced  by  every  possible  and  often  impossi- 
ble outcome  of  such  cases,  and  dwells  upon  all 
the  old  wives'  whims  she  has  heard,  she  will  look 
for  and  get  something  similar  to  these.  Nerv- 
ous and  hysterical,  she  comes  to  her  delivery 
poorly  prepared,  and  every  molehill  becomes  a 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  25 

mountain  to  her,  which  she  climbs  with  the 
greatest  difficulty,  never  expecting  to  reach 
the  terrible  top. 


CHAPTEE  III 

IS  PAINLESS  PAETUEITION  POSSIBLE  ? 

The  subject  of  painless  parturition  has  at- 
tracted wide  and  well-deserved  attention. 
Very  much  that  is  expressed  by  believers  in 
this  theory,  is  tenable  and  helpful ;  and  while 
we  cannot  take  the  extreme  views  held  by  Dr. 
Holbrook  and  Dr.  Stockholm  that  in  the  large 
majority  of  cases  it  can  be,  literally,  parturi- 
tion without  pain,  yet  we  believe  and  have 
proven  in  our  own  practice,  that  very  much  of 
the  suffering  can  be  alleviated  by  rational 
methods  of  living  and  dressing,  and  the  preg- 
nant woman  can  come  to  her  delivery  abso- 
lutely without  fear  of  great  pain  or  after  ill- 
results. 

Were  it  not  a  natural  thing  to  bear  children, 
the  case  would  be  different.  "Were  it  not  in 
the  power  of  any  physician  to  prove  that  Avhen 
rational  laws  had  been  followed  and  a  right 
mind  preserved,  his  or  her  patients  came 
through  the  ordeal  with  very  great  ease,  we 
26 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  27 

would  have  no  ground  for  encouragement  for 
our  pregnant  patients. 

Eminent  physicians  have  given  decided 
statements  of  their  knowledge  in  regard  to  the 
great  relief  it  is  possible  to  obtain  from  right 
care  and  methods  of  living.  Dr.  Dewees  goes 
so  far  as  to  say,  "  Pain  in  childbirth  is  a  mor- 
bid symptom.  It  is  a  perversion  of  nature 
caused  by  modes  of  living  not  consistent  with 
the  most  healthy  condition  of  the  system,  and 
a  regimen  which  would  insure  a  completely 
healthy  condition  might  be  counted  on  with 
certainty  to  do  away  with  such  pain."  This 
we  could  accept  had  he  said,  do  away  with 
such  pain  in  large  measure. 

Professor  Huxley,  the  English  scientist, 
makes  a  statement  with  which  we  heartily 
agree.  He  says,  "  We  are  indeed  fully  pre- 
pared to  believe  that  the  bearing  of  children 
may  and  ought  to  become  as  free  from  danger 
and  long  debility  to  the  civilized  woman  as  it 
is  to  the  savage."  That  many  of  the  ills  which 
pregnant  women  suffer  are  due  to  habits  of 
civilized  life,  which  if  cured  would  avert  their 
evil  results,  we  believe  can  be  proven  without 
doubt. 

All  physicians  can  cite  instances  in  their 


28  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

practice,  of  births  where  comparatively  no 
pain  was  suffered,  but  to  affirm  that  childbirth 
can  be,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  without  pain 
seems  to  us  a  great  mistake.  It  is  offering 
more  encouragement  to  our  patients  than  the 
actual  experience  will  warrant.  And  why  do 
this?  Are  the  necessary  pains  of  travail  in 
birth  all  out  of  proportion  with  the  resulting 
gift  ?  I  have  yet  to  find  the  true  woman  who 
could  not  say,  "  With  all  the  suffering,  it  pays 
to  be  the  mother  of  children." 

The  argument  which  some  have  used,  that 
curse  which  was  pronounced  upon  woman 
after  the  fall,  "In  sorrow  thou  sbalt  bring 
forth  children,"  should  have  no  weight,  as  the 
curse  pronounced  upon  man,  "  In  the  sweat  of 
thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread,"  has  in  the 
multiplication  of  labor-saving  machines,  been 
in  large  measure  done  away  with,  has  little 
forcefulness.  We  can  plainly  see  that  labor- 
saving  machinery  has  done  little  to  reduce  the 
SAveat  of  the  face,  in  the  rush  and  work  and 
worry  for  daily  bread.  This  has  not  removed 
man's  curse,  and  the  reminder  of  God's  frown 
upon  sin  is  needed  by  us  all.  So  in  child- 
bearing,  what  of  pain  and  suffering  is  really 
necessary,  is  not  so  severe  as  to  call  for  com- 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFEBING  29 

plaint  against  an  ever  merciful  God.  What 
pains  we  have  brought  upon  ourselves  by  false 
estimates  of  life,  will  be  removed  if  we  return 
to  primitive  simplicity  of  food  and  dress  and 
exercise ;  and  with  this  we  are  to  concern  our- 
selves. 

(Dr.  Holbrook,  in  his  little  book,  Parturition 
"Without  Pain,  and  Dr.  Stockholm,  in  Tokology, 
both  cite  the  cases  of  the  American  Indian, 
and  of  women  of  heathen  lands  to  exemplify 
their  statements  of  painless  childbirth ;  and 
further,  recommend  most  emphatically,  as  the 
great  pain  destroyer  in  maternity,  a  prescribed 
diet  which  we  are  sure  our  Indian  women,  and 
we  think  heathen  women  as  well,  do  not 
follow.  Is  not  the  easy  time  which  the  Indian 
women  enjoy  due  to  their  simple  habits,  their 
easy  dress,  their  active  out-of-door  exercise, 
added  to  their  care-free  mind  and  lives?  It 
matters  not  to  her  what  her  acquaintances, 
Mrs.  So-and-so  thinks,  for  they  all  think  as 
she  does,  and  she  fears  no  criticism.  Her 
society  claims  are  not  arduous,  and  she  can 
appear  at  all  the  functions  without  fear  of 
remark  or  inquisitiveness.  She  roams  the 
woods  and  cooks  her  simple  meals,  and  lies 
down  to  sleep  without  a  thought  of  fear,  and 


30  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

in  the  end  is  delivered  of  her  child  with  great 
ease. 

"While  diet  may  have  some  effect  for  good, 
yet  far  more  can  be  accomplished,  we  believe, 
by  proper  dress,  sufficient  exercise,  a  quiet 
frame  of  mind,  and  warm  sitz  baths. 

Let  me  cite  a  case  from  my  own  practice. 
A  young  woman  preparing  for  her  first  child 
followed  painstakingly  the  directions  concern- 
ing diet  laid  down  in  Tokology,  and  expected 
an  easy  delivery.  Instead,  her  labor  was  long, 
painful  and  instrumental.  In  her  second  preg- 
nancy she  lived  in  a  normal  way,  eating  what 
she  prepared  for  the  remainder  of  the  family. 
In  this  labor  I  attended  her,  having  been 
engaged  but  a  very  short  time  previous  to 
delivery.  Her  labor  was  not  difficult,  and  was 
accomplished  in  less  than  four  hours.  In  the 
third  pregnancy,  I  had  the  care  of  her  from 
the  beginning.  I  did  not  need  to  recommend 
exercise,  as  she  had  plenty  of  the  very  best 
kind,  and  she  dressed  as  she  should  always.  I 
did  however  advise  warm  sitz  baths  from  the 
first  at  least  twice  a  week,  which  were  in- 
creased during  the  middle  months  to  three  a 
week,  and  during  the  last  three  months  every 
night  just  before  retiring.     This  labor  was  not 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  31 

over  half  an  hour  in  length,  and  the  child  was 
born  with  two  expulsive  pains,  and  they  not 
severe.  In  this  pregnancy  she  ate  meat  three 
times  a  day,  and  bread  every  meal.  This  was 
not  done  from  choice,  but  because  she  assisted 
her  husband  in  his  meat,  vegetable  and  fruit 
business,  and  as  they  lived  in  the  rear  of  the 
building,  the  easiest  and  quickest  meals  pos- 
sible were  prepared.  She  ate  fruit,  but  not  in 
large  quantities,  for  her  stomach  would  not 
tolerate  strong  acids.  In  her  fourth  preg- 
nancy she  followed  the  same  regimen  and  the 
result  was  the  same,  a  comparatively  painless 
delivery,  and  an  easy  getting  up.  Indeed  it 
seemed  in  the  last  two  deliveries  an  un- 
necessary thing  to  remain  in  bed  the  pre- 
scribed ten  days. 

Another  instance  of  a  first  baby,  in  which 
the  mother,  during  her  pregnancy,  had  lived 
up  to  the  requirements  of  the  fruit-vegetable- 
rice-no-meat  and  little-bread  diet.  She  came 
to  her  delivery  with  splendid  courage  and  a 
surety  that  she  would  suffer  no  pain  worth 
speaking  of.  It  was  pathetic  to  witness  her 
brave  deportment  and  the  encouragement  of 
herself  after  an  unusually  hard  pain.  She 
would  exclaim,  "That  was   not  so  bad  after 


32  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

all,  they  might  be  a  great  deal  harder."  I 
have  had  but  one  or  two  more  serious  labors 
in  a  twenty  years'  practice,  and  the  little  one 
when  born  was  denuded  of  skin  in  patches 
from  head  to  foot,  and  was  thin  to  emaciation. 
Possibly  this  might  have  happened  had  she 
not  have  followed  the  diet  strictly  ;  but  as  this 
is  the  great  thing  emphasized,  it  is  that  which 
is  followed,  and  the  other  requirements  for  an 
easy  delivery  are  often  neglected.  I  have  no 
doubt,  exercise  and  proper  care  in  other  re- 
spects were  not  taken  as  religiously  as  was  the 
diet,  but  as  I  was  at  the  time  a  somewhat  be- 
liever in  this  theory,  and  as  my  patient  pro- 
fessed to  know  just  the  best  way  to  care  for 
herself,  I  did  not  then  insist  as  I  should  now, 
upon  a  more  rational,  all-around  practice. 

I  do  not  say  this  to  deride  the  fruit  diet 
theory  in  toto ;  for  taken  in  moderation,  it 
keeps  the  bowels  in  splendid  condition,  and 
the  stomach  from  being  overloaded  with  more 
stimulating  food.  I  would  strongly  oppose 
the  eating  of  fruit  between  meals,  at  this  time 
as  at  any  other,  but  before  a  meal  or  as  dessert 
it  is  to  be  highly  recommended. 

But  again  to  the  question  at  the  head  of  this 
chapter. 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  33 

Is  painless  parturition  possible  ?  Yes ;  when 
the  conditions  for  it  are  all  favorable,  namely, 
vigorous  and  perfect  health  for  generations 
back ;  plenty  of  exercise,  which  is  best  fur- 
nished by  household  duties,  and  walking  with 
agreeable  companionship ;  food,  simple,  un- 
stimulating,  varied,  and  that  partaken  of  by 
other  members  of  the  family,  and  not  so  dif- 
ferent and  demanding  such  an  amount  of  self- 
denial  as  to  call  attention  at  every  meal  to  her 
condition,  and  the  probability,  if  the  singular- 
ity be  not  adhered  to,  that  a  very  painful  and 
dreadful  time  must  be  expected.  Plenty  of 
good  company,  cheery  and  helpful,  is  also  a 
necessity,  and  dress  from  the  beginning  so  as 
to  leave  every  part  of  the  body  free  and  unre- 
stricted to  move  and  act  as  nature  designed  it 
should  ;  sitz  baths  increasing  from  once  a  week 
to  twice,  then  three  times,  and  in  the  last 
month  every  night  before  retiring,  not  cold, 
but  as  warm  as  can  well  be  borne.  Last,  but 
by  all  means  the  most  important  requisite  of 
all  to  this  happy  end,  a  justo-major  pelvis : 
which  all  may  not  order  for  themselves. 
What  do  I  mean  by  a  justo-major  pelvis  ? 
Why  a  pelvis  symmetrical  in  its  formation, 
and  abnormally  large.     Given,  however,  all  the 


34  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

other  requirements,  in  large  measure  or  in  full, 
yet  wanting  this,  the  chances  are,  that  in  the 
large  majority  of  cases,  we  will  have  a  deliv- 
ery which  any  noble-minded  woman,  who  is 
not  afraid  that  her  womanhood  should  be  put 
to  a  test  of  its  strength,  will  call  a  remarkably 
easy  delivery,  and  which  will  not  make  her 
shrink  in  the  least  from  its  repetition. 

Only  a  few  days  ago  the  remark  of  a  little 
mother  came  to  me,  which  I  will  pass  on  to 
you.  She  said  after  her  first  baby  came, 
"  The  pains  of  childbirth  were  the  sweetest 
things  I  ev^er  knew.  I  would  not  thank  any 
one  to  bear  one  of  them  for  me." 

Another  instance  which  proves  much,  I 
think.  A  lady  came  to  me  four  months  ad- 
vanced in  her  second  pregnancy,  her  first 
child  being  then  nearly  eleven  years  old.  She 
had  suffered  agonies  in  her  first  delivery,  and 
as  she  said,  "  remembered  every  pain."  She 
was  rebellious  at  having  to  go  through  it 
again,  for  this  reason,  and  because  it  would 
necessitate  the  giving  up  of  some  delightful 
pleasure  trips  with  her  devoted  husband.  I 
preached  to  her  the  possibilities  of  joyful 
motherhood,  of  the  endowment  she  could  give 
her  child,  and  put  into  her  hands  several  good 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  35 

books  on  the  subject.  I  also  assured  her  that 
she  need  not  have  so  serious  a  time  as  before. 
She  came  to  her  nobler  self  beautifully ;  and 
while  ease  of  dress  and  the  sitz  baths,  with 
her  lovely  motherly  awakening  in  expectancy 
of  the  little  one,  were  really  all  the  rules  fol- 
lowed, she  passed  through  her  confinement 
with  very  great  ease,  and  delight  on  the  part 
of  all.  Even  her  diet  was  not  changed,  as  I 
would  have  desired,  for  the  family  were  luxu- 
rious livers,  and  her  exercise,  save  about  the 
house  and  up  and  down-stairs,  was  not  taken ; 
but  in  spite  of  this,  with  mind  at  ease  and 
heart  at  rest,  she  came  through  the  to-be-terri- 
ble time  with  a  purpose  to  have  more  very 
soon.  There  is  no  dread  now  to  her  in  child- 
birth, and  she  would  assert  that  there  should 
be  nothing  to  dread  in  it  for  any  woman. 

Is  painless  parturition  possible  ?  Yes  :  with 
the  aid  of  an  anaesthetic  ;  and  to  a  very  slight 
degree  of  ana3sthesia  need  we  resort ;  for  only 
sufficient  to  allay  sensitiveness  to  the  pain  is 
needed,  and  your  ears  will  be  regaled  next  day 
with  the  declaration  that  she  had  such  an  easy 
time  that  she  would  not  dread  another  at 
all. 

Then   if   painless  birth  is  desired  is  it  not 


36  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

better  to  resort  to  a  mild  and  harmless  anass- 
thetic  at  the  birth  rather  than  torture  one's 
self  for  nine  months  with  rales  and  directions 
enough  to  make  her  apprehensive  of  the  most 
serious  things,  and  to  bring  her  to  the  time 
nervous  and  spiritless  in  the  extreme  ? 


CHAPTER  lY 

DANGEES   FROM   EXTREME   METHODS   IN" 
PREGNANCY 

I  CANNOT  emphasize  too  often  the  natural- 
ness of  child-bearing.  Since  it  is  natural,  and 
we  know  it  to  be  so,  why  all  the  fuss  about  it 
that  is  so  often  made  ?  "Why  preach,  and  talk, 
and  worry  and  make  fearful  the  mind  of  the 
prospective  mother,  when  her  condition  is 
nearly  as  old  as  creation,  and  is  planned  for 
and  presided  over  by  the  same  Lord  who  made 
the  first  couple  and  ordained  the  manner  of 
the  perpetuation  of  the  race. 

Far  better  to  recommend  no  change  in  liv- 
ing, if  the  habits  of  life  are  simple  and  sen- 
sible, than  to  snow  under  our  patient  with  ad- 
vice and  warning  and  minuteness  of  detail  in 
preparation,  until  she  is  made  to  feel,  if  she 
ever  gets  through  this  terrible  time,  about 
which  so  much  commotion  is  raised  and  for 
which  so  much  preparation  is  demanded,  she 
will  indeed  be  fortunate  and  will  count  herself 

37 


38  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

really  blessed.  Blessed  she  will  be  surely,  not 
simply  because  she  gets  through,  but  because 
she  has  the  privilege  of  going  through  and 
emerging  a  mother. 

Aside  from  the  multiplicity  of  directions  and 
linniky  care-taking,  there  are  dangers  we  be- 
lieve in  the  extreme  methods  of  diet  recom- 
mended. 

First  the  fruit-vegetable-no-meat  and  little- 
bread  regimen  is  not  one  which  commends 
itself  to  the  taste  or  desire  of  most  women. 
In  fact  it  is  rather  obnoxious  than  otherwise. 
The  three  or  four  lemons  daily,  and  oranges 
and  apples  ad  libitum,  both  between  and  at 
meals,  make  an  excessive  amount  of  acid 
which  cannot  be  tolerated  by  most  stomachs, 
and  there  is  great  danger  of  leaving  behind 
deleterious  effects  in  weakened  digestion. 

Again  the  self-denial  required  in  abstaining 
from  meat  and  bread,  save  in  very  small 
quantities,  by  those  who  have  all  their  lives 
been  in  the  habit  of  subsisting  largely  on 
these  two  articles  of  food,  is  too  rigid  an  en- 
forcement to  be  insisted  upon  at  this  time, 
save  for  those  possibly  who  have  suffered  be- 
fore extremely  and  who  resorted  to  anything 
which  has  any  promise  of  relief. 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  39 

Not  alone  is  the  physical  effect  to  be  con- 
doned, but  more  than  this  the  mental  effect. 
The  influence  cannot  but  be  felt  upon  the 
child,  when  the  mother  is  constantly  legisla- 
ting throughout  her  pregnancy  for  her  own 
comfort  at  the  time  of  delivery.  To  save  her- 
self a  few  pains  there  is  danger,  through  her 
abstemiousness  in  eating,  of  implanting  in  her 
child,  likes  and  dislikes  which  will  last  for  a 
lifetime. 

Further,  this  daily  attention  to  carefulness 
in  diet,  forcing  one's  self  to  eat  things  which 
become  very  distasteful,  and  denying  herself 
the  things  which  are  pleasant  and  desired, 
causes  a  feeling  of  unrest  and  fretfulness  on 
the  part  of  the  abstainer,  which  cannot  be 
healthful,  and  again  accentuates  the  thought 
that  pregnancy  and  its  final  result,  delivery,  is 
a  very  dreadful  condition. 

Instead  it  should  be  the  aim  of  every  ex- 
pectant mother  to  dispossess  her  mind  of  the 
thought  that  any  great  experience  of  danger 
awaits  her,  and  to  fill  her  mind  with  the 
knowledge  of  the  fact  that  she  is  but  fulfilling 
nature's  intention  and  will  have  her  highest 
help. 

Quite  as   wisely   should    you    lecture   and 


40  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

guard  your  friends  who  contemplate  a  pleas- 
ure excursion,  lest  something  disastrous  re- 
sult, as  to  say  to  those  who  look  forward  to 
motherhood,  "Be  careful,  be  guarded  all  the 
time,  follow  the  most  painstaking  care  and 
caution,  or  we  know  not  what  danger  may 
await  you." 

Why  a  far  greater  number  of  those  who  go 
on  excursions  meet  death,  than  those  who  pass 
through  childbirth,  and  yet  we  do  not  think 
of  spoiling  their  anticipations  by  constant 
croaking  of  possible  dangers  ahead.  True  we 
sometimes  have  a  severe  case,  as  we  have  criti- 
cal cases  in  any  of  the  diseases,  but  these  are 
the  exceptions,  and  fatality  in  parturition  is  a 
very  unusual  thing. 

Childbirth  should  not  be  regarded  or  spoken 
of  as  sickness.  To  be  sick  is  to  be  affected 
with  disease  of  any  kind ;  to  be  ill,  in  bad 
health.  "  Sick  "  is  applied  to  any  irregular, 
distempered  or  corrupt  state.  Why  then  call 
childbirth  sickness  ? 

There  is  a  danger  also  in  advocating  too 
great  activity,  either  in  work  or  the  many 
forms  of  physical  exercise  which  are  recom- 
mended as  strengthening  for  women  at  this 
time.     "  Let  your  moderation  be  known  to  all 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  41 

men,"  is^  a  good  motto  for  the  pregnant.  The 
very  fact  that  these  things  are  highly  recom- 
mended, sends  our  enthusiastic  patients  to 
their  practice  with  an  overzealous  endeavour 
that  is  apt  to  work  harm. 

I  have  come  to  believe  that  it  is  better  to 
urge  work  about  the  house  to  the  very  last, 
out  of  door  exercise  and  pleasure  in  abun- 
dance, walking  daily,  not  so  much  as  to  over- 
tire,  and  leave  the  more  minute  details  out  of 
the  question,  than  to  advise  their  following 
any  prescribed  course  of  physical  culture  or 
training. 

Do  not  misunderstand  me.  I  believe  heart- 
ily in  proper  precaution,  and  caretaking. 
Cleanliness,  carefulness  and  painstaking  are 
part  of  the  armamentaritim  of  a  good  physi- 
cian, and  I  would  never  have  them  disre- 
garded. Against  the  extreme  fanaticism  in 
preparation  I  am  speaking,  not  against  the 
sensible  care  which  should  be  taken  by  both 
physician  and  patient.  All  that  the  physician 
can  say  and  the  patient  do  and  not  get  out  of 
the  realm  of  the  natural,  I  would  advocate 
heartily,  but  I  would  avoid  fussiness. 

Further,  I  can  but  believe  that  this  state  of 
things  has  been  one  of  the  contributing  factors 


42  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

in  the  great  prevalence  of  ante-natal  infanti- 
cide which  is  broadcast  in  our  land  to-day. 
Women  have  come  to  dread  maternity  and  all 
its  attendant  cares,  and  have  magnified  its 
dangers,  and  the  next  thought  is,  what  can  I 
do  to  prevent  it,  while  I  must  be  a  wife  in  the 
common  acceptation  of  the  term,  how  can  I 
avoid  pregnancy  ?  Then  Satan,  ever  ready  to 
lead  captive  silly  women,  suggests  to  them 
prenatal  murder,  but  by  no  means  calls  it  by 
its  real  name.  And  then  begins  a  life  of 
bondage  which  finds  its  counterpart  nowhere 
outside  prison  walls.  Using  the  precautions 
which  they  have  learned  from  some  of  their 
older  friends  (?)  and  which  are  extolled  as 
proof  in  all  cases,  they  watch  the  approach  of 
the  monthly  cycle  with  apprehension ;  and  if 
perchance,  they  pass  the  day  without  its  ap- 
pearance, they  rush  off  to  the  doctor  (not 
usually  the  family  doctor,  but  one  skilled  in 
such  things,  and  who  has  no  conscience  to 
trouble  him),  and  with  a  plausible  story  of 
having  taken  cold,  if  they  need  to  be  plausible 
at  all,  they  follow  a  prescribed  course  until 
the  menses  appear,  and  with  it,  too  often,  a 
condition  of  body  and  mind  which  is  indeed 
sickness,  and  which  is  likely  to  be  their  con- 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  43 

slant  companion  ever  after.  If  such  women 
could  only  know  that  their  history  is  easily 
read  in  their  faces, — old  before  their  time, 
sallow,  tired,  colorless,  all  the  bright  life  tones 
gone  out  of  them, — they  would  hardly  care  to 
advertise  their  practice. 

Oh,  sisters !  let  me  beseech  you,  do  not  barter 
your  birthright,  your  health,  youth  and  beauty, 
for  such  a  moldy  mess  of  pottage,  for  depend 
upon  it,  death  lurks  beneath,  and  will  spring 
out  at  you  before  you  realize  it. 

Again  let  me  emphasize  the  fact  that  you 
have  positively  nothing  to  dread  in  normal 
childbirth.  A  few  hours,  at  the  most,  of  dis- 
comfort that  will  be  forgotten  as  soon  as  your 
little  one  is  pressed  to  your  heart,  and  as  you 
approach  a  second  and  third  delivery  you  will 
laugh  at  fear  and  crown  your  womanhood 
with  rejoicing  that  you  are  so  privileged  as  to 
be  the  mother  of  children. 

Live  healthfully,  eat  food  that  will  build  a 
strong  body  at  all  times,  dress  sensibly,  allow- 
ing no  undue  weight  or  unnecessary  bands  to 
hinder  your  normal  development,  exercise  as 
you  would  in  ordinary  health,  occupy  self 
with  the  duties  of  the  home,  and  above  and 
beyond  all,  keep  a  cheerful  spirit  and  a  confi- 


44  3IATEBNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

dent  trust  that  the  dear  Lord  who  knew  a 
human  mother's  love,  and  appreciated  her 
cares  and  sorrows,  will  care  for  you,  and  will 
lead  you  all  the  way,  if  you  will  allow  Him 
to  do  so.  And  furthermore,  the  way  is  not 
"  The  way  of  the  cross,"  but  that  of  the  crown 
of  motherhood. 

Believe  implicitly,  that  you  as  other  women 
are  able  to  bear  the  little  of  suffering  that  will 
fall  to  your  lot  after  you  have  done  all  that 
you  can  to  conform  to  right  ways  of  living, 
and  come  to  your  lying  in  as  to  a  happy  con- 
summation of  high  hopes,  for  your  joy  will 
be  great  if  you  have  a  heart  to  make  it  so. 

No  extreme  methods  are  necessary,  any 
more  than  they  are  called  for  in  the  ordinary 
walks  of  life.  Depend  upon  it,  all  the  talk 
about  the  dangers  and  sorrows  of  child-bear- 
ing, is  made  by  those  who  are  not  true  women. 
They  who  shirk  the  responsibilities  that  belong 
to  womanhood,  and  the  debt  they  owe  to  their 
day  and  generation  will  have  little  to  give  to 
the  world  or  their  families  that  is  worth  the 
giving. 

True  women  take  the  place  that  God  in- 
tended they  should  occupy,  and  fill  it  gladly, 
rejoicing  that  they  are  women,  and  have  been 


MATEENITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  45 

SO  honored  of  the  Creator  as  to  be  given  such 
a  large  part  in  the  perpetuation  of  the  race. 
True  women  know  that  they  have  in  their 
power  to  so  order  the  children  they  may  bear, 
that  they  shall  fill  places  among  the  justly 
honored  of  the  land.  Is  any  other  work  so 
well  worth  while,  as  bearing  and  rearing  chil- 
dren that  shall  help  to  lift  the  fallen  world  ? 
"Woman  in  doing  her  distinctive  work,  is  lift- 
ing herself  to  a  higher  plane  than  can  be 
reached  by  any  other  path;  and  is  fitted  to 
shine  as  no  other  education  in  the  power  of 
the  world  to  give  can  fit  her. 

Womanhood  !  Motherhood  !  Two  of  the 
sweetest,  most  soulful  words  in  the  language 
of  any  people ;  and  yet  how  their  banner  is 
trailed  in  the  dust.     How  many, 

"  Have  sold  for  naught  their  priceless  gift 

How  spoiled  their  bread  and  spilled  their  wine, 
Which  spent  with  due  respective  thrift, 
Had.  made  brutes  men,  and  men  divine." 


CHAPTER  V 

THE    CRIME   or   PRENATAL   MURDER 

What  is  prenatal  murder,  and  is  it  possible 
that  women  in  Christian  America  will  lend 
themselves  to  such  a  sin  ?  Prenatal  murder  is 
a  crime  very  often  committed,  if  we  give  to 
the  taking  of  life  the  close  definition  which 
the  Holy  Book  would  give  it.  Murder  lies  in 
the  intent,  the  desire,  as  well  as  the  deed  itself, 
and  one  may  take  life,  so  far  as  the  sin  upon 
his  own  soul  is  concerned,  who  never  stains  his 
hands  with  his  victim's  blood. 

This  Avould  be  the  definition  of  God's  Book, 
and  can  ours  be  less  ?  Prenatal  murder  is 
then,  not  only  the  putting  to  death  the  unborn 
child,  but  the  purpose  to  do  so,  even  though 
thwarted  by  Nature  in  her  persistent  fidelity, 
to  the  Creator's  plan  and  purpose.  With  such 
a  definition,  how  many  think  you  would  be 
recorded  were  all  the  cases  known  ? 

What  is  it  tliat  has  gotten  into,  or  out  of, 
the  hearts  of  women  all  over  our  land  that 

46 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  47 

makes  it  possible  for  them  to  entertain  even 
for  one  moment  the  thought  of  such  a  terrible 
sin  ?  In  prenatal  murder  woman  is  aiming  a 
death-blow  at  one  of  the  most  sacred  instincts 
of  nature,  mother-love  and  all  its  sweet  reflex 
influences.  True  many  times  she  does  it  in 
ignorance  of  the  enormity  of  the  sin,  but  all 
women  know  that  it  is  wrong. 

Think  for  a  moment :  would  any  woman 
count  it  an  honor  to  have  for  a  friend  a  public 
executioner  ?  There  is  something  horrible  in 
the  thought  of  it.  Then  how  can  a  delicate, 
shrinking  woman  dare  to  hold  converse  with 
herself,  when  she  becomes  the  executioner  of 
that  which  is  a  part  of  her  very  self,  and  by 
so  doing  also  undermines  the  citadel  of  her 
own  health  and  strength  ?  Destroying  the 
little  soul,  already  embodied,  and  at  the  same 
time  doing  violence  to  her  body,  the  temple  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  Yes :  and  this  sin  is  com- 
mitted, we  shudder  to  think  of  it,  by  those 
who  have  acknowledged  it  His  temple,  and 
then  dare  invite  Him  to  dwell  in  a  broken  down 
tenement,  when  they  themselves  continue  its 
destroyer. 

"Woman  could  never  do  this  did  she  realize 
the  enormity  of  the  sin.     She  has  been  misled 

4 


48  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

by  the  sophistry  of  reasoning  which  many  who 
know  better  indulge  in,  that  there  is  no  life  in 
the  product  of  conception  until  quickening  is 
felt,  and  therefore  no  soul,  hence  no  sin  is 
committed  in  destroying  it.  "What  proof  is 
there  that  there  is  no  life  ?  And  when  does 
life  enter  ?  How  can  there  be  growth  if  there 
is  no  life?  The  moment  conception  takes 
place  there  is  life,  and  that  same  moment  does 
the  soul  take  up  its  abode  in  the  conceived 
being. 

Oh,  sisters,  be  not  deceived  with  such  sinful 
reasoning.  Be  not  led  into  this  sin  Avhich  will 
bring  sorrow  and  evil,  multiplied  in  geomet- 
rical ratio  to  your  soul  throughout  all  time. 
Some  day  there  will  come  a  reckoning  Avith 
your  own  heart,  and  you  will  find  it  bankrupt 
of  all  that  makes  life  desirable  or  lovely.  Some 
day  in  your  loneliness,  your  heart  will  cry  out 
in  vain  for  those  little  unborn  souls  whom  you 
have  doomed  never  to  know  a  mother's  love 
and  nestling.  Some  day  you  will  stand  ap- 
palled at  the  temerity  with  which  you  dared 
to  tamper  so  with  your  own  body,  and  destroy 
the  precious  infant,  who  through  no  fault  of  its 
own,  was  called  into  existence.  Ignorance  of 
self  and  all  the  great  questions  which  grow  out 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  49 

of  it,  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  awful  sin  of  pre- 
natal murder.  It  is  certainly  not  alone  the 
fearf  ulness  of  child-bearing  which  starts  woman 
on  this  downward  way,  for  she  who  stoops 
to  child  murder,  does  a  very  daring  thing ;  she 
takes  her  life  in  her  hand,  for  she  has  all  na- 
ture against  her,  while  in  normal  maternity 
she  has  all  nature  on  her  side. 

"  But,"  I  imagine  I  hear  some  one  ask,  "  have 
you  no  compassion  or  sorrow  for  the  women 
who  are  compelled  to  bear  children  too  fre- 
quently, and  so  miss  all  the  pleasures  of  society, 
and  self-improvement  ?  "  I  am  sorry  for  tho 
lack  of  wisdom  on  the  part  of  husbands  and 
wives  who  allow  such  a  state  of  things ;  but 
we  never  can  right  one  wrong  by  joining  hands 
with  a  sin  of  far  greater  proportions.  More 
than  this,  I  do  not  believe  that  any  woman  is 
shut  out  from  all  improvement  because  she 
must  bear  and  rear  children.  She  has  before 
her  the  opportunity  for  the  finest  education 
that  the  world  can  furnish.  Does  not  educate 
mean  to  lead  out  ?  And  is  there  larger  oppor- 
tunity anywhere  than  that  of  the  mother  of  a 
home  to  lead  out  all  the  faculties  of  the  mind, 
and  give  them  development  ?  Further,  what 
good  can  come  by  limiting  her  children  by 


50  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

produced  abortions  ?  Life  is  robbed  of  its  joj 
when  health  is  gone,  and  when  with  it  has  fled 
purity  and  peace  of  conscience,  there  is  little 
left  to  hope  for.  Remorse  and  sorrow  hold 
high  carnival  in  such  hearts,  unless  conscience 
is  seared  and  dead  ever  after. 

Is  there  not  something  to  make  us  stop  and 
reflect  seriously,  when  we  learn  that  the 
American  race  is  rapidly  dying  out  ?  There 
should  be  an  average  of  four  children  who  live 
and  grow  to  maturity  in  every  American  fam- 
ily, to  just  keep  our  number  good.  What  then 
can  be  the  inevitable  result,  when  there  is  not 
an  average  of  nearly  that  number  ?  Have  wo 
no  responsibility  in  this  matter  for  the  coming 
generations  ? 

Dear  young  wives,  let  me  sound  a  note  of 
warning.  You  will  find  those  who  are  willing 
to  become  your  teachers  in  these  unhallowed 
things,  who  should  blush  with  shame  to  so  dis- 
honor themselves  and  their  God  and  so  to  cor- 
rupt the  minds  of  the  young  and  innocent,  and 
lower  the  standard  of  morals  in  their  genera- 
tion. Listen  to  no  word  from  these  false 
teachers.  Be  above  their  companionship.  He- 
solve  in  your  young  womanhood  to  so  know 
your  responsibilities  and  your  high  calling  as 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  51 

women  who  are  to  be  wives,  and  in  the  plan 
of  the  Creator  to  be  mothers  also,  that  you  can 
never  stoop  to  rob  your  own  heart  and  life  or 
your  generation  of  its  lawful  heritage. 

I  am  well  aware  that  women  are  not  alone 
in  this  guilt,  but  that  they  have  often  a  part- 
ner in  their  husbands,  who,  fearing  too  great  a 
task  in  the  support  of  a  large  family,  either  by 
their  words  or  actions  say  plainly  that  they  do 
not  desire  a  large  family.  If  they  do  not  wish 
it,  it  certainly  lies  entirely  within  their  power 
to  limit  the  number  by  legitimate  means,  and 
that  is  expressed  by  one  word,  continence.  In 
this  way  and  this  alone  will  he  be  guilt- 
less. 

That  children  should  not  be  born  oftener 
than  once  in  two  years,  and  in  the  large  ma- 
jority of  cases  it  would  be  better  did  three 
years  separate  the  births,  will  be  conceded  by 
all.  A  wise  self-control  will  accomplish  this ; 
and  were  one  half  the  time  spent  by  parents  in 
study  and  research  along  the  lines  of  wisest 
perpetuity  of  the  race  that  is  spent  in  planning 
to  thwart  nature  while  living  lives  of  sexual 
indulgence,  our  young  people  would  be  better 
informed  and  would  come  to  marriage  with 
principles  too  high  to  allow  the  lower  nature 


62  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

to  dominate,  or  to  lend  themselves  to  the  ne- 
farious practice  of  prenatal  murder. 

Just  a  word  as  to  certain  practices  which  are 
considered  harmless,  morally  and  physically. 
The  practice  of  using  cold  or  ice  water  injec- 
tions immediately  after  sexual  intercourse  is 
harmful  in  the  extreme.  The  parts  are  over- 
heated and  suddenly  lowering  the  temperature 
can  but  cause  serious  congestion  and  its  after 
bad  results.  Any  physician  who  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  diseases  of  women,  could  give  you 
scores  of  cases  of  serious  womb  diseases  brought 
on  by  the  use  of  the  above  so-called  preventive. 

The  preparations  recommended  by  unscrupu- 
lous druggists  are  often  harmful  in  the  ex- 
treme, as  are  the  many  devices  that  are  adver- 
tised and  sold  by  those  who  lead  captive  silly 
women  who  are  waiting  to  be  entrapped.  God 
seems  to  have  put  His  ban  upon  any  effort  made 
to  avoid  motherhood,  however  harmless  it  may 
appear  to  be  by  those  who  are  encouraged  to 
use  it. 

There  is  certainly  a  great  work  of  reform 
waiting  to  be  done,  and  with  woman  rests 
much  of  the  responsibility.  First  there  must 
be  enlightenment  instead  of  ignorance  upon 
all  these  questions  which  have  to  do  with  our 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  53 

higher  being  and  the  highest  well-being  of  the 
race.  Let  woman  awake  to  the  knowledge 
that  very  much  can  be  accomplished  by  intel- 
ligent study  along  these  lines,  and  then  set 
about  patiently  leading  in  the  better  way  and 
the  day  of  wiser  and  better  conditions  in  mar- 
riage relations  will  soon  dawn.  Much  of  the 
license  in  wedlock  is  the  direct  result  of  lack 
of  knowledge  and  faulty  education.  Boys  and 
young  men  are  not  taught  as  they  should  be, 
and  the  consequence  is  that  husbands  are  ig- 
norant of  the  higher  and  better  way,  and  wives 
suffer,  and  unborn  children  are  slaughtered, 
while  men  go  on  pandering  to  passions  uncon- 
trolled. 


CHAPTER  YI 

STATE   OF  MIND    DURING  PREGNANCY 

Is  THERE  anything  in  the  state  of  mind 
during  gestation  which  should  merit  a  chapter 
in  our  book  ?  Much  more  than  enough  for 
one  chapter  if  all  were  to  be  said. 

The  state  of  mind  during  pregnancy  and  at 
the  time  of  delivery,  has  more  to  do  with  the 
happiness  of  the  patient  and  her  unborn  child 
(to  say  nothing  of  the  remainder  of  the  family), 
and  has  more  to  do  with  her  comfort  and  ease 
during  pregnancy  and  at  its  close,  than  any 
other  one  thing.  Given  a  happy,  cheerful  dis- 
position, a  mind  to  make  the  best  of  every  cir- 
cumstance, a  determination  to  look  upon  the 
bright  side  of  things,  and  if  there  seems  to  be 
no  bright  side  to  make  one — given  a  belief  in 
the  kindly  provision  made  by  a  loving  God 
for  the  mothers  of  the  w^orld ;  and  a  knowl- 
edge that  when  doing  all  she  can  by  living 
rightly  and  thinking  rightly,  she  can  safely 
leave  the  rest  with  Ilira — given  all  these,  and 

54 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  55 

the  woman  will  be  fitted  to  pass  the  months 
of  waiting  with  joy,  and  come  to  the  end  with 
courage  and  strength  sufficient  to  tide  her 
safely  and  easily  over. 

Restlessness  and  dissatisfaction  by  women 
with  their  lot  has  much  to  do  with  their  state 
of  mind.  Women  are  restless  because  they  do 
not  comprehend  the  greatness  of  their  work. 
They  have  dwelt  upon  the  drudgery  of  the 
flesh  pots  and  broom  and  dishpan,  so  long  and 
complainingly,  that  they  have  forgotten  that 
the  very  drudgery  is  but  the  underlying  neces- 
sity of  all  that  is  possible  in  their  highest  en- 
deavor and  that  of  their  family.  Why  there 
is  a  poetry  in  cooking  and  a  blank  verse  in 
scrubbing  if  we  will  but  hunt  for  the  meter ; 
and  how  much  better  that  it  should  be  made 
a  lively  soul  inspiring  roundelay,  than  that 
it  should  be  set  to  the  measure  of  a  funeral 
dirge. 

Look  for  the  symbolisms  as  well.  Isn't  the 
outer  cleanliness  that  you  put  upon  the  face 
of  home  a  symbol  of  and  an  invitation  to  the 
washing  of  regeneration  given  the  inward 
man?  Is  not  the  common  sense,  hygienic 
food  put  before  your  family,  but  strength,  en- 
durance, high  endeavor,  noble  purpose  in  the 


56  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

rough,  and  only  waiting  the  marvelous  chem- 
ical changes  in  the  system  to  transform  them 
into  all  that  goes  to  make  life  high  and  noble  ? 
Looking  at  it  from  this  exalted  view-point, 
woman  will  see  her  work  as  she  should  and 
not  groan  and  complain  over  it. 

For  much  of  the  fearfulness  in  which  timid 
women  approach  the  termination  of  their 
pregnancy,  and  with  which  in  fact  they  tor- 
ture themselves  all  the  way  through,  I  can  but 
blame  old  wives  and  meddlesome  physicians. 
Old  wives  remembering  all  the  fatal  and  diffi- 
cult cases  they  have  ever  known  or  heard  of, 
and  taking  pains  to  rehearse  them  to  young 
and  timid  wives  before  the  advent  of  their 
first  baby,  awaken  their  fears  and  quicken 
their  surmisings  into  being.  Then  the  physi- 
cian in  these  days  when,  the  books  say  mi- 
crobes and  bacteria  swarm  as  thickly  every- 
where as  bees  about  their  hives,  fearing  lest 
their  patients  become  infested  with  their  un- 
wholesome presence  and  poison,  will  load  the 
patients  with  precautions  and  warnings  until 
the  case  assumes  a  very  terrible  aspect  to  the 
uninformed  and  timorous.  This,  to  our  mind 
is  one  of  the  first  steps  in  meddlesome  mid- 
wifery.    "We  should  let  nature  alone  when  we 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  57 

have  in  kindly  wisdom  taught  the  way  of 
right  dressing  and  living,  and  encourage  our 
patients  to  look  upon  the  bearing  and  rearing 
of  children  as  something  well  and  amply  pro- 
vided for  in  their  creation.  Say  all  the  en- 
couraging things  which  we  have  such  just 
reason  to  say,  and  leave  the  few  possible  but 
highly  improbable  things  unsaid,  expecting 
them  to  come  to  other  physicians'  patients  and 
not  to  ours. 

Again,  women  who  have  married  with  the 
determination  to  have  no  children,  if  they  can 
well  help  it,  are  in  no  enviable  frame  of  mind 
when  they  find  themselves  pregnant,  and  un- 
less they  immediately  call  a  halt  to  their 
former  feelings  upon  the  subject,  and  resolve 
that  through  no  fault  of  theirs  shall  another 
disinherited  child  be  thrown  upon  the  world 
— that  through  no  fault  of  theirs  shall  their 
family  suffer  and  they  themselves  live  in  the 
slough  of  despond  in  the  waiting  months — 
their  condition  is  indeed  a  pitiable  one. 

Pregnancy  means  to  every  woman  a  period 
of  unrest  and  suffering,  or  a  period  of  joy  and 
blessedness,  that  will  react  upon  all  her  after 
life  for  sorrow,  or  for  joy,  and  the  state  of 
mind  which  she  chooses  will  determine  which 


58  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

it  shall  be.  It  means  more  than  this.  "  As  a 
man  thinketh  in  his  heart  so  is  he,"  and  this 
man  means  woman  too.  If  she  think  that  she 
is  abused  because  forsooth  she  is  to  have  the 
high  honor  of  becoming  a  mother,  then  what 
of  comfort  can  she  have  for  herself  or  to  be- 
queath to  her  unborn  child?  What  can  be 
her  prospect  of  coming  to  her  day  of  delivery 
with  ease  or  courage  to  bear  what  little  of  suf- 
fering may  be  hers  ?  We  cannot  expect  to 
think  bitterly  and  to  live  sweetly,  or  to  trans- 
mit sweetness  either.  No  :  Ave  live  what  Ave 
think  inevitably,  and  give  the  same  to  our 
children,  and  it  behooves  us  here  as  elsewhere 
to  think  right  thoughts. 

A  little  mother  comes  to  my  mind  as  I  write, 
who  illustrates  my  thought.  Her  husband 
Avas  a  good  business  man,  but  Avasted  his  money 
in  drink,  Avhile  she  courageously  bore  her  large 
family  of  children,  and  cared  for  them  ten- 
derly. I  said  to  her  one  day,  Avhen  she  spoke 
of  her  sorroAvs,  "  How  have  you  managed, 
that  your  children  are  all  so  happy  and  bright, 
in  spite  of  poverty  and  the  neglect  of  their 
father  ?  "  She  answered  me,  "  As  soon  as  I 
found  I  AA^as  to  have  another  little  one,  I 
prayed  all  the  time  it  seemed  to  me,  that  it 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  59 

might  be  perfect  physically,  and  then  I  tried 
to  make  the  best  of  everything."  Her  chil- 
dren are  all  remarkable  physical  specimens, 
not  a  blemish  on  one  of  them,  and  as  they  are 
growing  toward  man  and  womanhood  they  all 
give  promise  of  more  than  ordinary  strength 
and  ability. 

The  ancient  Greeks  placed  about  their  preg- 
nant women  the  finest  statuary  and  pictures, 
so  that  their  children  should  be  physically 
beautiful.  And  further,  recognizing  how  very 
much  depended  upon  the  state  of  mind  of  the 
mothers,  they  kept  them  cheerful  and  happy, 
by  delightful  and  uplifting  companionship, 
music  and  laughter. 

Eealizing  as  we  do,  the  great  influence  upon 
the  child  which  the  mind  of  the  mother  ex- 
erts, and  the  reflex  of  this  upon  all  her  after 
life,  is  any  pain  too  great  to  take,  any  effort 
too  costly  ?  Mothers !  mothers !  be  brave, 
contented,  happy.  Make  the  most  of  every 
comfort  and  enjoyment,  the  least  of  all  dis- 
comfort and  deprivation  ;  and  believe  me  it 
will  bring  into  your  life  more  of  real  wealth 
and  blessedness  than  all  the  mines  of  Golconda 
could  furnish. 

Your  life  is  only  well  rounded  to  its  noon- 


60  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

day  when  your  child-bearing  period  is  passed, 
and  what  you  are  now  in  gladsome  living,  in 
uplift  and  strength,  you  will  be  all  your  after 
life  of  comparative  freedom  for  helpfulness  in 
the  work  of  the  world.  As  you  have  borne 
and  reared  your  children,  as  you  have  blessed 
your  family  with  wisdom  and  goodness  and 
welcome  cheer,  so  will  you  count  in  the  com- 
munity, so  in  the  world  at  large,  for  help- 
fulness. 


CHAPTER  YII 

PKEPAEATION  FOR  MOTHERHOOD 

In"  the  minds  of  many  to-day  a  great  ques- 
tion is  being  considered,  namely  :  What  prep- 
aration for  motherhood  lies  within  my  power 
to  make  ?  This  preparation  does  not  involve 
simply  your  own  wardrobe  for  use  during  the 
period  of  waiting,  nor  that  which  may  be  pre- 
pared for  the  coming  little  one.  Neither  is 
the  question  answered  when  the  physical  con- 
dition is  well  looked  after,  and  the  physician 
and  nurse  decided  upon.  It  goes  deeper  than 
all  these  and  asks,  what  can  be  done  to  so  pre- 
pare me  mentally,  morally  and  spiritually,  as 
well  as  physically,  that  my  offspring  may  be 
endowed  with  all  that  it  is  possible  for  me  to 
give  them  ?  What  may  I  do  that  I  may  be 
quite  sure  that  my  faults  and  defects  shall  not 
be  transmitted?  How  can  I  prepare  myself 
to  give  to  my  babies  the  characteristics  which 
I  possess  in  small  measure,  but  long  to  pos- 
sess in  greater  ? 

61 


62  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

All  these  questions  come  within  the  realm  of 
preparation  for  motherhood.  In  this  chapter 
we  will  discuss  the  physical  preparation  of  the 
mother,  and  the  care  of  herself  during  her 
pregnancy,  while  the  higher  questions  will  be 
discussed  in  the  chapter  on  heredity,  predispo- 
sition and  evironment. 

First,  Exercise. — This  can  be  summed  up  in 
a  few  words.  The  work  about  the  house  is 
the  best  exercise  a  pregnant  woman  can  take, 
as  in  the  various  duties  incident  to  the  work 
of  a  home,  all  the  muscles  are  brought  into 
play  as  in  no  other  one  thing.  Care  should  be 
taken  not  to  lift  heavy  things  as  buckets  of 
coal,  tubs  of  water,  or  habitually,  older  chil- 
dren, if  there  are  any.  Lifting  and  shaking 
rugs  and  carpets  is  too  vigorous  exercise,  save 
for  the  very  strongly  athletic  women.  Sweep- 
ing in  moderation,  not  too  many  rooms  at  a 
time,  can  do  no  harm  if  the  woman  is  at  all 
strong.  If  she  is  not,  she  should  consult  her 
physician  as  to  the  best  exercise  to  invigorate 
and  strengthen  her. 

For  those  who  are  so  situated  as  to  have 
thought  it  unnecessary  hitherto  to  have  little 
to  do  with  the  manual  work  of  the  home,  ex- 
ercise must  be  zealously  sought  and  taken. 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFEBINQ  63 

Assuming  one  little  home  duty  after  the 
other,  that  will  keep  you  on  your  feet  for  some 
time  each  day,  and  bring  into  healthy  play  the 
unrestricted  muscles  of  the  abdomen  and  back, 
will  be  a  great  help  to  you,  as  well  as  a 
delight. 

If  you  have  never  learned  to  cook,  and  have 
not  had  practice  in  the  special  administration 
of  home  affairs,  now  is  your  opportunity. 
"  Go  to  school,"  these  months,  at  least  for  the 
morning  session  daily  and  solve  for  yourself 
the  mysteries  of  domestic  science.  Nothing 
so  becomes  the  mother  of  a  home,  as  to  be 
thoroughly  furnished  in  all  that  goes  to  make 
up  a  good  housekeeper ;  and  nothing  so  insures 
good  servants  and  acceptable  service. 

Learn  how  to  cook,  and  prepare  healthful, 
appetizing  dishes  daily.  Be  the  woman  of 
affairs  at  home,  and  gather  strength  for  your 
approaching  motherhood,  while  you  are  at  the 
same  time  giving  to  your  unborn  child  a  taste 
and  aptitude  for  all  that  enters  into  the 
finished  make-up  of  keepers  of  the  home. 

The  work  about  the  house  is  the  hest  exercise 
a  pregnant  woman  can  take.  The  motions 
necessary  in  making  the  beds,  dusting,  sweep- 
ing, etc. ;  the  exorcise  compelled  in  compound- 


64  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

ing  a  cake,  and  in  moulding  bread  cannot  be 
excelled  in  any  system  of  exercises  ever 
devised.  In  these  various  duties  incident  to 
the  work  of  a  home,  all  the  muscles  are 
brought  into  healthful  play  as  in  no  other  one 
thing.  But  care  should  be  taken  by  those 
who  do  all  their  own  work,  not  to  lift  heavy 
weights. 

Gardening  too,  offers  an  excellent  recreation 
for  a  pregnant  woman,  as  it  combines  outdoor 
air  with  exercise  that  is  strengthening  to  the 
muscles  of  the  abdomen.  Aside  from  these 
the  growing  of  flowers  cultivates  the  aesthetic 
and  brings  one  into  touch  with  nature  as  noth- 
ing else  can.  An  hour  in  the  early  morning, 
and  another  in  the  evening,  dressed  in  light, 
short  clothing,  with  absolutely  no  garment  that 
in  the  least  restricts  the  movements  of  the 
body  will  do  more  to  furnish  tone  and  strength 
to  the  pregnant  woman  than  any  other  one 
form  of  outdoor  exercise.  Croquet  is  a  health- 
ful amusement  if  one  be  dressed  as  above,  for 
it  furnishes  exercise,  recreation  and  fresh  air 
at  the  same  time. 

Walking  can  be  participated  in  by  all.  The 
clothing  must  be  light  and  supported  from  the 
shoulders,  and  should  be  so  made  that  it  will 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  65 

not  hamper  the  free  gait.  The  boots  should  be 
moderately  heavy  walking  shoes,  with  a  wide, 
thick  sole  and  low  heels.  A  woman  who  has 
never  been  a  good  walker  can  become  one,  by 
following  closely  the  above  directions.  A 
loose  jacket  and  light  skirt,  with  full  drawers 
or  bloomers,  all  made  of  cloth  and  weight  that 
is  well  suited  to  the  demands  of  the  season, 
are,  with  the  undergarments,  all  that  is  neces- 
sary ;  and  the  skirt  should  be  short  enough  to 
require  no  holding  up  in  any  weather. 

Beginning  with  a  short  walk  one  can 
lengthen  it  until  a  mile  or  two  is  covered  with- 
out undue  fatigue.  The  walk  with  women 
who  have  the  leisure  or  can  make  it,  should 
not  be  omitted  save  in  the  most  severe  days, 
unless  the  exercise  about  the  house  has  been 
such  as  to  take  the  place  of  the  walk.  If  any 
of  the  exercises  recommended  in  books,  or  by 
physical  culture  teachers  are  practiced,  take 
care  not  to  overdo  them  is  the  only  caution. 

To  those  who  have  no  taste  nor  desire  for 
work  in  the  home  I  would  say,  consult  your 
physician  as  to  the  kind  of  exercise  you  need, 
and  take  it  painstakingly,  not  with  the  tliought 
that  you  are  going  to  spare  yourself  pain,  but 
that  you  are  going  to  make  yourself  strong 


66  3IATEBNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

and  give  to  your  unborn  child  vigor  and 
strength  of  mind  and  body. 

Exert  all  your  splendid  womanhood  in 
making  good  the  deficiencies  which  you  will 
discover  now  in  yourself  if  you  have  never  be- 
fore, and  depend  upon  it ;  the  exercise  which 
will  not  only  do  this  but  have  in  it  utility  for 
others  will  be  the  most  satisfying  and  truly 
helpful.  The  daj^s  when  queens  and  princesses 
"  wove  and  spun,"  and  looked  well  to  the  way 
of  their  households  may  be  devoutly  prayed 
for  now. 

For  those,  who  are  not  so  situated  as  to  be 
able  to  take  the  natural  exercise  needed  for 
full  and  healthy  development,  it  is  best  to 
adopt  some  system  of  movements  which  will 
develop  and  keep  in  tone  all  the  muscles  and 
joints  of  the  body.  If  your  home  is  in  the 
city  you  had  better  consult  the  finest  teacher 
in  physical  culture  you  can  find,  and  follow  a 
prescribed  course,  taking  good  heed  not  to  go 
to  a  dangerous  extreme  in  your  enthusiasm. 
If  you  are  in  the  country  send  to  any  reliable 
book  store  and  get  the  book  of  "  Del  Sarte  " 
exercises  and  be  your  own  teacher  and  encr- 
gizer,  remembering  always  what  you  desire 
to  effect ;  namely,  a  strong,  symmetrically  do- 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  67 

veloped  body,  ready  for  any  emergency,  even 
inviting  it.  There  are  a  goodly  number  of 
exercises  which  embody  an  ingenious  combina- 
tion of  strong  rubber  cords,  handles,  foot- 
pedals,  and  ring,  by  which  it  may  be  attached 
to  a  hook  in  door  or  window  casing.  The 
movements  with  this  little  device  can  be  varied 
indefinitely  and  bring  into  healthful  play  the 
muscles  of  chest,  limbs  and  abdomen. 

Notice  the  advertisements  in  our  best  maga- 
zines and  papers,  of  systems  for  physical 
culture,  and  if  you  have  a  desire  to  try  a 
variety  of  authors,  take  up  some  one  of  these 
correspondence  courses  and  prove  it  for  your- 
self. Not  all  excellence  is  comprehended  in 
one  course  or  system.  Be  wise  in  your  selec- 
tion to  take  only  that  which  you  need  for  yotcr 
development. 

Exercise  with  dumb-bells  can  be  made  to 
meet  the  wants  of  the  large  majority. 

Dress  during  pregnancy.  What  I  have 
said  above,  will  cover  all  that  is  needed  to  be 
said  about  dress  in  exercise.  For  the  home 
dress,  the  light,  loose  wrappers  for  work,  should 
be  worn  with  skirts  either  attached  to  waists 
or  supported  by  straps  from  the  shoulders. 
An  under  waist  can  supply  the  place  of  the 


68  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

corsetwaist,  if  one  has  been  worn,  and  can 
have  a  V  shaped  front  fitted  in  it,  which  will 
allow  enlargement,  with  only  the  trouble  of 
changing  the  buttons,  as  the  size  increases. 
There  are  a  variety  of  pretty  maternity  gowns, 
adorned  by  a  tasty  adjustment  of  bows  and 
lace  pendants  in  front,  which  disguise  the  form 
and  give  the  wearer  a  comfortable  appearance 
and  feeling. 

On  no  account  wear  the  elastics  around  the 
legs.  If  the  stockings  are  supported  at  all  let 
it  be  with  safety-pins,  attached  to  the  under- 
garments, or  by  flexible  rubber  tape  from  the 
shoulders.  The  shoes  should  be  comfortable 
and  low  heeled  at  all  times,  and  in  the 
undergarments  avoid  all  bands  around  the 
waist. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  a  warm  hath  for 
cleanliness  should  be  taken  once  or  twice  a 
week.  If  one  can  bear  the  cold  sponge  bath 
daily  it  is  an  excellent  tonic,  and  can  be 
quickly  taken  with  a  pair  of  bath  mittens  with- 
out thumbs,  well  soaped  and  drawn  on  the 
hands.  The  whole  body  can  be  quickly  gone 
over  and  rubbed  dry,  all  in  about  two  minutes. 
This  increases  the  circulation,  cleanses  the 
skin  from  the  daily  secretions,  and,  because  of 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFEBINQ  69 

the  bracing  tonic  effect  makes  one  feel  equal 
to  almost  anything. 

2'he  Sits  Bath. — This  can  be  taken  in  a  set 
tub,  a  regular  sitz  bath-tub,  or  in  a  foot-bath- 
tub, or  common  wash-tub,  with  sufficient 
water  to  cover  the  hips,  and  as  warm  as  can 
be  comfortably  borne.  The  sitz  bath  should 
be  taken  twice  or  three  times  a  week  in  the 
earlier  months,  then  every  night  before  re- 
tiring in  the  later  months.  If  the  sedative 
effect  alone  were  sought,  this  would  be  suffi- 
cient to  pay  for  the  effort,  but  aside  from  this 
it  relieves  any  undue  congestion  to  the  parts, 
softens  and  makes  the  muscles  more  pliable, 
and  soothes  in  a  wonderful  manner.  I  do  not 
recommend  the  cool  or  cold  sitz  baths  in 
any  instance,  save  where  one  cannot  well 
stand  the  Avarm.  To  a  few  women  warm 
water  is  a  little  too  relaxing  in  its  effect,  and 
to  such  the  cool  sitz  baths  would  be  preferable. 

Best. — How  much  should  a  pregnant  woman 
rest?  All  she  can  without  overdoing  it.  Some 
women  are  so  constituted  that  they  need  a 
guardian  who  shall  say,  "thus  far  and  no 
farther,"  in  both  matters  of  work,  exercise, 
and  rest.  Eest  in  a  recumbent  position, 
usually  lying    on    the    back,   with   the    feet 


70  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

drawn  up,  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  three 
or  four  times  daily,  if  standing  about  the 
work  tires  one,  is  an  excellent  habit  to  culti- 
vate. Rest  when  tired,  until  you  are  re- 
freshed, is  a  good  rule.  Change  of  work 
often  proves  a  rest,  and  to  the  busy  housewife, 
change  of  occupation  may  give  the  needed 
rest  to  one  set  of  muscles,  while  another  set  is 
busy.  Cultivate  the  habit  of  sitting  at  all 
work  where  it  is  possible  to  do  so.  Much 
strength  is  unnecessarily  expended  by  woman 
in  standing  at  work  where  she  could  as  well  sit. 
Again,  recreation  is  often  rest  to  the  pregnant 
woman  as  at  any  other  time  of  life. 

Care  of  the  Breasts. — The  breasts  often 
need  some  care  during  the  months  of  waiting. 
First,  avoid  for  them  any  pressure  or  irritation 
from  the  clothing.  For  hardening  the  nipples, 
so  that  the  troublesome  cracking  and  tender- 
ness which  so  often  annoys  in  early  nursing  may 
be  avoided,  bathe  them  in  cold  tea,  alcohol  and 
water,  or  witch  hazel  daily,  for  several  weeks 
before  confinement.  This  renders  the  skin  less 
sensitive  when  it  is  subjected  to  the  irritation 
of  suckling. 

The  Ahdomen. — Rubbing  the  abdomen  with 
good  olive  oil  two  or  three  times  a  week,  has 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFEBINQ  71 

an  excellent  effect  upon  the  expanding  mus- 
cles, soothing  them  and  rendering  them  more 
elastic. 

Food. — As  the  reader  will  already  have  seen, 
I  am  no  advocate  of  an  unusual  diet  for  the 
pregnant  woman.  At  all  times  in  life  I  preach 
plain,  unstimulating  food,  and  have,  after  the 
practice  of  twenty  years,  no  ground  for  com- 
mending unusual  and  extreme  dietary  rules. 
Eat  meat  sparingly,  as  at  all  times  in  life,  not 
oftener  than  once  daily,  and  not  at  all  if  it  is 
not  cared  for,  as  meat  is  but  a  concentrated 
vegetable  diet.  Eat  fruit  and  vegetables 
freely,  pastry  very  little,  if  at  all,  and  let  that 
little  be  simple. 

Furthermore,  if  your  habits  of  eating  and 
living  have  been  pernicious  throughout  your 
life,  do  not  expect  to  make  yourself  entirely 
over  into  a  rational,  perfect  woman  in  the  few 
months  of  pregnancy.  But  you  may  with 
reason  expect  to  do  very  much  toward  making 
matters  better  and  more  free  from  bad  results. 
You  have  a  double  motive  for  reform  at  this 
time,  the  influence  upon  your  own  health  and 
comfort,  and  the  inheritance  of  your  unborn 
child. 

TJte  cJioice  of  a  jphysician  and  nurse  comes 


72  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

within  the  realm  of  preparation  for  mother- 
hood. There  will  be  a  number  of  advisers  in 
regard  to  the  choice  of  a  physician,  but  the 
woman  should  be  the  one  whose  choice  alone 
is  considered,  and  she  should  not  be  unduly  in- 
fluenced, unless  for  some  very  good  reason.  It 
has  been  many  times  proven,  that  when  the 
physician  is  not  pleasing  to  the  woman  labor 
is  retarded  and  unhappy.  Above  everything, 
a  physician  who  is  strong,  both  mentally  and 
morally — a  clean  man  or  woman  should  be 
chosen,  for  the  expectant  woman  needs  integ- 
rity to  pin  her  faith  to  at  such  a  time,  and  not 
a  broken  reed  to  lean  upon. 

For  a  nurse,  a  neat,  pleasant,  far-seeing,  self- 
controlled  woman  should  be  found.  She  is  to 
be  mistress  of  the  sick  room  and  must  by  her 
ability  and  strong  personality  command  re- 
spect. She  must  not  be  a  talker,  neither  ob- 
trusive nor  noisy.  Quiet,  lady  like,  compan- 
ionable, and  attractive,  are  the  characteristics 
of  every  good  nurse.  She  must  have  a  mind 
of  her  own  and  use  it  when  in  the  absence  of 
the  physician  an  emergency  occurs.  A  nurse 
is  trained  that  she  may  intelligently  carry  out 
the  directions  of  the  physician,  and  should  in 
every  particular  be  obedient  to  him.     A  nurse 


MATEBNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  73 

prepared  for  her  work,  adapts  herself  quickly 
to  circumstances,  and  needs  little  waiting 
upon. 

Still  one  other  thought  along  this  line  of 
preparation.  Nothing  should  be  spared  by 
the  prospective  mother,  or  by  any  other  mem- 
ber of  the  family,  which  will  keep  her  in  per- 
fect physical  condition  for  the  months  of 
gestation,  the  birth  and  the  succeeding  months 
of  care  of  her  child.  The  husband  cannot  be 
too  tender  or  too  considerate  of  her  welfare  all 
through  this  period,  and  here  is  his  love  and 
consideration  shown  as  perhaps  nowhere  else. 

That  there  should  be  no  sexual  demands 
during  this  time  and  the  period  of  nursing,  the 
reluctance  of  the  woman  attests  ;  and  the  self- 
controlled  man  will  not  take  advantage  of  her 
reluctant  assent,  when  he  realizes  that  the  in- 
fluence upon  his  wife  and  unborn  child  is 
harmful  to  a  greater  or  less  degree. 

The  human  family  can  well  learn  lessons 
here  from  the  lower  animal  life,  for  among 
them  no  such  state  of  things  ever  exists,  and 
we  cannot  conceive  that  it  is  a  legitimate  out- 
growth of  a  higher  civilization.  It  must  rather 
be  classed  among  the  uncontrolled  evils  of 
mankind. 


74  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

We  can  but  believe  that  this  is  one  of  the 
contributing  factors  in  the  degeneration  of 
woman,  and  which  makes  her  less  and  less  able 
to  bear  the  burdens  of  life  in  each  succeeding 
generation. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

AILMENTS   OF  PBEGNANCY 

There  are  no  diseases  which  are  more  inci- 
dent to  pregnancy  than  to  any  other  period  of 
life,  but  there  are  many  aihnents,  which  are  at 
times  quite  troublesome,  and  which  need  at- 
tention. 

One  of  the  most  distressing  and  most  com- 
mon is  morning  sickness.  This  is  so  called 
because  it  more  commonly  appears  in  the 
morning,  but  it  may  affect  the  pregnant 
woman  at  any  or  all  parts  of  the  day.  This 
varies  from  a  simple  nausea  to  the  most  dis- 
tressing vomiting,  and  may  last  from  a  few 
weeks  to  several  months  in  the  trying  cases. 
Where  the  vomiting  is  distressing  and  long 
continued  a  physician  should  be  consulted,  for 
there  is  some  faulty  condition  in  the  system 
that  needs  attention.  All  sorts  of  theories 
from  the  most  ridiculous  to  the  highly  scien- 
tific have  been  advanced  to  account  for  this 

75 


76  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

ailment,  but  we  can  simply  say  that  the  condi- 
tion is  due  to  pregnancy,  and  is  probably  the 
result  of  some  nerve  disturbance. 

It  is  an  abandoned  theory  that  there  is  no 
amelioration  for  this  distressing  condition. 
There  are  many  remedies  for  it,  that  will  in 
all  the  understood  cases  give  great  relief,  or 
cure  it  altogether.  Sometimes  the  sickness 
depends  upon  a  faulty  habit  of  eating,  and 
when  corrected  the  ailment  is  in  great 
measure  relieved.  Again  it  may  be  avoided 
by  taking  something  upon  the  stomach  before 
rising  in  the  morning,  a  cup  of  coffee,  prefer- 
ably, without  sugar  will  work  most  favorably. 
Sometimes  in  the  earlier  months  the  sickness 
is  due  to  a  displaced  uterus,  and  if  corrected 
the  sickness  will  disappear. 

For  this  as  for  all  other  ailments  of  preg- 
nancy, a  healthy  and  common  sense  manner  of 
living  will  do  much  to  prevent  its  appearance 
to  a  troublesome  degree.  It  is  safe  to  say  that 
this,  as  well  as  other  common  ailments  are  not 
found  in  an  aggravated  form  among  those  who 
have  learned  and  exercise  a  proper  self-control 
in  matters  of  daily  living.  Good  habits  of 
eating,  exercise  and  dress,  good  habits  of 
thought   and  action,   are   safeguards   against 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  71 

many  ills  of  life,  during  pregnancy  as  well  as 
at  other  times. 

Heart  burn  is  but  a  form  of  indigestion,  and 
can  be  usually  overcome  by  correcting  the  di- 
gestion. Eating  fruit  daily,  keeping  the 
bowels  in  good  condition,  and  taking  a  suffi- 
cient amount  of  outdoor  exercises  are  the  best 
remedies.  Tight  clothing  which  presses  upon 
sensitive  parts,  or  compresses  organs  which 
should  have  full  play,  or  weighty  clothing 
dragging  down  the  wearer  until  tired  and  nerv- 
ous, all  have  a  part  in  provoking  these  condi- 
tions. That  the  mind  has  much  to  do  with 
both  the  cause  and  cure  of  these  common 
troubles,  a  remedy  often  recommended  in 
medical  books,  namely,  change  of  locality  and 
surroundings,  is  a  proof.  This  gives  the  pa- 
tient new  things  to  think  about,  new  things  to 
see  and  enjoy,  and  she  dwells  less  upon  self 
and  her  ills. 

Another  distressing  ailment  is  constipation, 
and  it  is  really  incorrect  to  say  that  this  is 
more  liable  to  trouble  one  at  this  time  than  at 
any  other,  as  it  is  one  of  the  most  common 
ailments  of  life  among  men  as  well  as  women. 
True  the  gravid  uterus,  or  heavy  womb,  may 
at  times  aggravate  this  trouble,  and  some- 


78  MA  TEBNITY  WITHO  UT  SUFFERING 

times  provoke  it,  when  a  nerve  which  pre- 
sides over  the  regular  evacuation  of  the  bowels 
is  so  pressed  upon  as  to  render  it  insensitive 
and  hence  neglectful  of  its  duties.  On  no  other 
account  is  one  more  liable  to  suffer  from  con- 
stipation during  pregnancy. 

More  exercise,  more  fruits  and  laxative  foods, 
plenty  of  water  drank  both  hot  and  cold,  and 
correct  dressing  are  all  very  helpful,  and  if  per- 
severed in  will  cure  the  large  majority  of  cases. 
Do  not  begin  the  habit  of  relieving  the  bowels 
by  cathartics  or  enemas,  or  injections,  but  by 
correcting  bad  habits  if  you  would  effect  a  cure. 
Enemas  may  be  used  as  a  temporary  relief, 
while  food  and  exercise  have  time  to  do  their 
work.  Kneading  the  bowels  after  retiring  at 
night  and  again  in  the  morning  increases 
their  activity.  Further,  have  a  regular  time 
daily  for  attending  to  the  evacuation  of  the 
bowels.  Eemember  constipation  is  a  bad 
habit  more  often  than  otherwise,  and  the  mus- 
cles and  nerves  which  preside  over  this  func- 
tion, like  conscienceless  servants,  will  become 
careless  of  their  duty  unless  kept  to  time.  Fix 
your  hour,  preferably  in  the  morning,  and  let 
nothing  disturb  its  regularity. 

Files  often  trouble   the   pregnant  woman, 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  79 

especially  when  constipated,  or  when  there  is 
not  a  sufficient  amount  of  exercise  taken.  The 
practices  which  will  cure  constipation  will 
usually  relieve  hemorrhoids.  Eating  little, 
and  that  liquid,  or  fasting  for  a  day  or  even 
two,  at  the  same  time  drinking  quantities  of 
hot  water  as  well  as  cold,  will  cure  an  acute 
attack.  Should  the  trouble  be  caused  by  the 
pressure  of  the  gravid  uterus,  a  well-adjusted 
abdominal  bandage  may  prove  efficacious. 
Better  than  this  is  exercise  which  will  tone  up 
the  muscles  of  the  abdomen,  and  the  tonic 
effect  of  sitz  baths,  which  also  relieve  con- 
gestion, and  allow  the  proper  return  of  the 
venous  blood;  for  hemorrhoids  are  simply 
veins  which  are  filled  and  distended  with  blood 
which  is  not  allowed  to  return  in  the  circula- 
tion, because  of  the  pressure  either  of  the 
heavy  womb  or  the  rectum  filled  with  what 
should  be  daily  discharged. 

Often  there  is  swelling  of  the  legs  and  feet, 
especially  toward  the  last,  which  may  have  no 
greater  significance  than  that  the  return  blood 
vessels  are  so  crowded  upon  that  a  portion  of 
their  contents  is  pressed  out  into  the  tissues 
of  the  legs  and  feet.  This  is  a  symptom,  how- 
ever,  which  should  not  be  neglected,   as  it 


80  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

sometimes  betokens  a  condition  which  needs 
the  immediate  care  of  the  physician. 

Sometimes  during  pregnancy  the  saliva  is 
secreted  in  such  quantities  that  it  literally 
runs  from  the  mouth.  This,  as  well  as  head- 
ache, is  more  often  than  otherwise  caused  by 
errors  in  diet,  and  is  corrected  by  adopting  a 
hygienic  code  of  living. 

Cramps  are  caused  by  nerve  pressure,  and 
are  relieved  by  getting  up  and  walking  quickly 
about  for  a  few  minutes.  A  healthy  tone  in 
the  abdominal  muscles  will  usually  preclude 
cramps. 

The  mind  is  the  seat  of  various  disorders 
which  should  not  be  disregarded.  Usually 
these  are  due  to  nervous  apprehensions,  or  to 
fearfulness  lest  all  will  not  be  well.  Domes- 
tic infelicity,  an  unwelcome  member  in  the 
family,  or  a  troublesome  relative  or  neighbor 
may  cause  great  mental  unrest.  Relieved  of 
these  disturbances  and  the  mental  distress  will 
disappear  like  magic.  An  unsympathetic  or 
fault-finding  husband  is  quite  suflScient  to 
throw  a  sensitive  woman  into  fits  of  despond- 
ency at  this  time,  if  she  have  not  sufficient 
will  power  to  say  with  Paul :  "  None  of  these 
things  move  me."    Indeed,  I  know  of  no  pre- 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  81 

cept  of  which  a  pregnant  woman  has  oftener 
need  than  this  simple  declaration  of  the  in- 
spired, common-sensed  Paul.  Considering  the 
grave  results  which  may  follow  yielding  to 
these  fits  of  depression,  or  hysteria,  she  must 
steel  herself  to  all  that  she  cannot  correct,  and 
say :  "  I  will  not  be  hurt  by  them,  neither 
shall  my  unborn  child  suffer  because  of  these 
things." 

Two  other  mental  conditions  may  really  be 
classed  among  ailments  of  pregnancy,  namely, 
longings  and  birthmarks,  so  called.  "When  a 
woman  desires  what  she  cannot  have,  and 
makes  herself  miserable  because  she  cannot 
get  it,  she  has  not  proper  self-control,  and 
should  set  herself  at  once  to  cultivating  it. 
If  she  desires  an  article  of  food  that  is  not 
harmful  and  can  easily  obtain  it,  let  her  have 
it,  as  it  may  be  a  necessary  call  of  the  system 
that  it  will  be  well  to  supply.  Longings,  how- 
ever, are  usually  for  things  that  should  not  be 
indulged  in,  and  the  desire  should  be  sup- 
pressed. 

Birthmarks  are  more  often  than  otherwise 
the  result  of  natural  causes,  and  not  at  all  due 
to  the  incidents  to  which  they  are  attributed. 
Further,  when  they  are  brought  about  by  ac- 


82  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

cidental  experiences  of  the  mother,  the  effect 
is  the  result  of  the  mind  dwelling  upon  the 
accident,  and  expecting  some  untoward  effect 
upon  the  child.  If  the  woman  will  at  once 
quiet  her  mind  by  a  strong  effort  of  the  will 
and  by  reasoning  with  herself  determine  that 
it  shall  have  no  ill  effect  upon  her  or  her  child, 
it  will  cease  to  trouble  her  and  leave  behind  it 
nothing  to  be  regretted. 

Of  the  many  other  disturbances,  which  are 
often  mentioned  among  ailments  of  preg- 
nancy, we  can  simply  say,  what  will  relieve 
them  when  suffering  at  any  other  time  will 
help  them  now.  They  are  not  incident  to  the 
condition,  but  occur  as  at  any  other  time  of 
life,  and  need  the  same  treatment. 

Toothache  to-day  need  not  be  suffered  as 
the  teeth  can  be  treated  and  filled  without 
danger  of  untoward  results. 

Threatened  miscarriage  may  well  be  classed 
among  the  ailments  of  pregnancy.  It  is  well 
for  all  women  in  the  early  months  of  preg- 
nancy to  take  especial  care  at  the  time  when 
the  menses  would  naturally  appear,  not  to 
overexert  in  any  way,  as  this  is  the  time  when 
miscarriages  are  most  likely  to  occur.  Any 
great  indiscretion  at  this  time  may  cause  it. 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  83 

and  when  once  the  habit  is  formed  it  is  very 
difficult  to  carry  a  child  past  the  habitual  time 
of  miscarrying.  With  each  repetition  of  the 
misfortune,  a  little  more  of  strength  and  vi- 
tality go  and  the  woman  becomes  an  invalid. 
One  miscarriage  is  more  disastrous  to  the 
health  of  a  woman  than  any  number  of  natu- 
ral births,  because  one  is  contrary  to  nature's 
methods,  while  the  other  is  in  accord  with 
them. 

If  at  the  monthly  period  a  feeling  of  weight 
and  discomfort  is  experienced,  and  pains  which 
simulate  menstrual  colic,  the  woman  should  go 
at  once  to  bed  and  remain  there  until  she  feels 
well  again.  Often  a  slight  return  of  the 
monthly  will  appear  for  several  months,  but 
if  great  care  be  taken,  it  will  amount  to  no 
more  than  the  little  effort  to  conform  to  the 
habit,  which  by  care  and  quiet  at  this  time 
will  soon  be  overcome.  If  the  symptoms  are 
at  all  alarming  the  physician  should  be  con- 
sulted at  once. 

Do  not,  I  pray  you,  consider  this  a  slight 
matter.  In  any  event  it  is  a  serious  thing  and 
will  tell  upon  the  after  health  of  the  woman. 
Sometime  she  must  suffer  for  it,  if  not  before 
the  menopause,  then  surely  at  that  time. 


CHAPTER  IX 

HEREDITY,    PKEDISPOSITION    AND    ENVIKON- 
MENT 

By  heredity  is  understood  all  those  traits 
and  characteristics  which  a  child  receives  from 
its  ancestors,  near  or  remote,  and  which  were 
constituents  of  the  parents'  characters.  By 
predisposition,  the  tendency  toward  a  certain 
thing  or  line  of  development  which  is  given 
the  child  by  its  parents,  and  which  may  not 
have  been  a  characteristic  of  the  parent,  but 
one  greatly  admired  or  desired.  By  environ- 
ment is  meant  everything  which  surrounds 
the  child  after  its  advent  into  the  world. 

Every  woman  should  understand  the  vast 
possibilities  which  are  within  her  reach  for  her 
child.  Not  only  is  its  future  shaped  by  the 
characteristics  received  from  its  remote  ances- 
tors, but  as  well  by  the  predispositions  entailed 
from  its  immediate  relatives,  and  by  the  en- 
vironment in  which  it  finds  itself  in  its  early 
years.     It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  a  woman 

84 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  85 

who  understands  the  power  and  scope  of  these 
three  great  factors  in  the  life  of  the  children 
given  her,  may  make  them  what  she  will. 
The  mother  who,  when  on  her  way  to  Amer- 
ica, was  asked  what  she  was  going  to  do  there, 
answered,  "Kaise  governors  for  them,"  real- 
ized her  power  and  her  ability  as  well.  She 
was  as  good  as  her  prophetic  vision  promised, 
for  three  of  her  sons  were  indeed  governors. 
Not  pride,  but  a  determination  to  make  of  her 
children  something  worth  while,  actuated  this 
mother,  and  with  that  in  view  she  bore  and 
reared  sons  that  filled  the  high  places  she 
desired. 

There  is  much  yet  in  this  great  question 
that  is  not  fully  understood,  but  sufficient  is 
known  to  prove  that  we  may  in  large  measure 
shape  the  generations  to  come,  if  we  will.  It 
is  by  a  process  of  soil  preparation,  rooting  out 
weeds,  and  seed  planting  that  all  this  must  be 
done,  and  to  the  patient,  persistent  worker 
wonderful  things  are  possible.  The  great  like- 
ness to  the  families  from  which  the  children 
spring  is  unmistakably  there,  but  the  new  life 
which  comes  in  from  the  union  of  the  father 
and  mother  puts  into  it  new  springs  of  being 
and  other  possibilities  which  have  only  to  bei 


86  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

shaped  by  environment  and  training  into 
things  of  perpetuity  and  endurance. 

A  study  of  the  line  of  ancestors  on  both 
sides,  would  be  a  profitable  investment  of 
time  for  the  parents,  and  then  of  the  peculiar 
characteristics  which  mark  their  individual 
selves,  their  failings,  which  they  would  not 
see  transmitted,  their  strong  points  which 
could  be  made  stronger,  their  ambitions  which 
they  have  from  various  causes  been  prevented 
from  making  realities  in  their  own  lives,  but 
which  they  would  like  to  see  wrought  out  in 
the  lives  of  their  children — all  these  things 
should  be  matters  of  moment  to  the  parents, 
who  would  make  the  most  of  their  children. 

"Would  such  a  study  pay  ?  Think  what  has 
been  accomplished  by  the  wise  combination  of 
strains  in  plant  and  animal  life,  and  by  the 
proper  culture  of  these  combinations,  and  the 
question  is  answered  in  as  large  measure  as 
can  be,  when  the  differences  between  plant 
life,  the  lower  animal,  and  the  human  family, 
are  considered. 

In  the  human  family  many  complex  ele- 
ments unite  in  making  the  individual,  namely, 
all  the  inheritances  from  a  long  line  of  ances- 
tors, each  of  whom  had  his  strong  and  weak 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  87 

points ;  all  the  entailed  possibilities  of  disease 
both  physical  and  moral,  all  the  deterioration 
^vhich  has  corao  from  crossing  strains  that 
should  never  have  been  united  in  marriage ; 
and,  added  to  all  these,  the  faulty  education 
which  must  in  some  way  be  set  right.  Con- 
sidering all  this,  the  question  of  inheritance  in 
the  human  family  offers  a  far  more  complex 
problem  to  be  worked  out,  than  heredity  in 
lower  animal  and  plant  life. 

For  our  present  purpose  we  will  consider  the 
question  of  what  a  mother  can  do  with  and 
for  her  children  when  she  is  mated  with  the 
one  whom  she  has  chosen  "for  better  or  for 
worse."  Back  of  this  lies  the  parents'  respon- 
sibility, to  so  train  their  children  that  their 
choices  may  be  of  the  highest  and  best.  To 
the  young  couple  the  study  of  themselves  and 
the  possibilities  within  their  reach,  how  they 
can  improve  upon  themselves  and  their  ances- 
tors, are  the  great  questions.  I  would  if  I 
could,  have  young  people  go  farther  than  this. 
I  would  have  preparatory  schools  for  all  of 
marriageable  age  where  I  would  have  them 
become  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  great 
questions  briefly  discussed  in  this  chapter ; 
then  would    I    feel   sure   that   they   had    the 


88  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

alphabet  of  parenthood  well  learned,  and  that 
they  would  go  on  from  this  knowledge  to  bet- 
ter things.  In  only  a  few  of  our  higher  insti- 
tutions of  learning  are  those  in  charge  awake 
to  the  importance  of  such  training,  and  have 
regular  classes  in  sexual  physiology,  where 
all  who  will  may  study  and  learn  of  them- 
selves, and  their  possibilities  for  higher  devel- 
opment in  future  generations. 

Let  me  ask  you,  could  a  matter  of  culture 
be  more  noble  than  this  ?  To  improve  self, 
that  one's  offspring  may  be  ever  grateful  for 
their  parentage.  What  line  of  study  can  de- 
velop the  parents  more  surely  and  symmetric- 
ally? The  highest  and  noblest  in  them  is 
educated,  while  the  lower  and  less  noble  is 
suppressed  and  allowed  no  growth. 

Suppose  you  have  not  thought  along  these 
lines  hitherto,  it  is  not  too  late  to  begin  now. 
What  will  you  do  for  your  children  that  are  to 
come,  and  what  can  you  do  for  the  betterment 
of  the  environment  of  those  who  already 
gather  about  you  for  counsel  and  instruction  ? 
True,  "  as  the  twig  is  bent  the  tree  is  in- 
clined," but  by  patient  training  many  of  the 
inclinations  and  predispositions  may  be 
changed,   and   the   plant,  whether  human  or 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  89 

vegetable,  may  be  cultured  into  a  commend- 
able erectness  and  growth. 

It  is  a  well  conceded  fact  that  the  later  chil- 
dren of  any  couple  are  as  a  rule  the  more 
promising,  and  why  ?  Because  they  have  the 
advantage  of  all  their  parents  have  learned  in 
the  training  of  the  older  ones,  and  of  the  mis- 
takes corrected  as  they  have  learned  better 
ways.  In  other  words,  the  parents  are 
stronger,  and  so  give  to  the  world  stronger 
and  brighter  children. 

The  mother  if  she  desires  her  child  to  have 
a  predisposition  in  any  direction,  can  by  study 
and  culture  of  herself  give  to  it  the  possibility 
of  great  development  along  the  required  line, 
and  by  after  culture  and  training  lead  the 
child  on  to  high  achievement  in  the  chosen 
direction. 

For  the  development  of  fine  physical  na- 
tures, why  shall  not  we,  like  the  Greeks,  if  we 
desire  high  mental  attainment  in  our  offspring, 
surround  ourselves  with  those  things  which 
develop  the  mind,  and  expect  as  sure  results  as 
they  secured  ?  More  than  this,  if  there  has 
been  an  unachieved  ambition  in  higher  train- 
ing, you  can  put  into  your  child's  mind  the 
purpose  to  attain  it,  and  by  encouragement 


90  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

push  him  to  its  achievement.  Is  not  this  a 
knowledge  worth  gaining,  an  ambition  worth 
living  for  ?  It  is  not  enough  that  our  children, 
be  as  wise  or  as  good  as  we,  but  better,  wiser, 
or  we  will  have  done  little  toward  the  im- 
provement of  the  race. 

Are  there  characteristics  inherited  from 
ancestors  more  remote  than  father  and  mother, 
and  do  you  know  that  for  the  development  of 
these  germs  a  certain  culture  is  needed  ? 
Then  if  you  do  not  desire  these  traits  to  de- 
velop do  not  give  them  the  surroundings 
which  will  call  them  out  and  make  them 
clamor  for  growth  or  opportunities  for  culture. 
Are  there  inherited  tendencies  which  you 
would  have  developed,  then  not  only  hold 
them  up  for  admiration,  but  put  about  your 
child  the  incentives  to  study  and  development 
in  these  things.  In  other  words,  in  a  wise 
way  hold  up  their  inheritances  either  to  ad- 
miration or  contempt  as  you  would  have  them 
grow  by  contemplation  or  die  from  neglect. 
In  heredity  we  bend  the  tAvig,  in  environment 
we  break  it,  or  incline  it  more  and  more  to- 
ward the  development  of  the  family  traits. 
Feed  the  strong  inherited  germs  on  their 
proper  pabulum  and   they  will  grow,  starve 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  91 

them   and   they   will    die,    or    remain    dor- 
mant. 

A  little  child  is  so  easily  influenced  that  we 
can  mold  it  into  almost  any  form  we  choose 
and  work  for.  Let  us  not  forget  this,  but 
give  to  heredity  and  environment  each  its 
proper  and  due  importance.  Is  it  not  within 
the  reach  of  all  parents  to-day,  with  our  pub- 
lic schools  and  colleges  in  almost  every  town, 
with  books  so  cheap  that  they  seem  within 
the  reach  of  all,  with  advantages  that  were 
wanting  years  ago  now  at  our  hands ;  does  it 
not  seem  possible  for  all  parents  to  give  their 
children  a  start  and  onward  push  in  almost 
any  direction  ?  True,  this  presupposes  in  the 
parents  a  love  for  these  things,  and  so  much 
of  an  understanding  as  is  necessary  to  direct 
in  the  choices  of  their  children.  It  presu]> 
poses  a  certain  culture,  whether  of  the  schools 
or  attained  at  home,  it  makes  little  difference, 
an  upward  look  for  themselves  and  those 
placed  under  their  care,  a  pride  that  their 
children  shall  stand  well  in  the  community 
and  the  world  at  large.  Look  up,  and  your 
children  will  follow  your  eyes ;  look  down, 
and  they  will  do  the  same.  Plain  furnishings, 
if  need  be,  always  plain  food,  but  with  plenty 


92  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

of  good  books  and  high  companionship,  and 
we  may  achieve  great  things.  Such  were 
the  homes  of  many  of  our  Puritan  ancestors 
and  these  homes  told  in  the  lives  of  their 
children. 

Finally.  By  far  the  large  majority  of  chil- 
dren are  shaped,  not  by  a  carefully  laid  out 
plan  of  birth  and  development,  but  by  scraps 
of  influence  and  circumstance,  that  makes 
them  neither  this  nor  that  in  any  strong,  force- 
ful way,  unless  at  some  fortunate  period  of 
their  early  years  a  power  takes  hold  of  them 
in  environment,  or  strong  personality  shapes 
them  into  purposeful  characters  fitted  to  do 
something  for  the  race  to  which  they  belong. 
How  much  better  for  the  parents  to  have  the 
delight  and  glory  of  shaping  and  training 
their  children  into  units  of  power  and  excel- 
lence rather  than  to  feel  that  others  outside 
the  home  have  wakened  their  dormant  im- 
pulses for  good,  and  quickened  them  into 
development. 


CHAPTER   X 

THE  LYING  IN  CHAMBER 

The  chamber  chosen  for  the  lying  in  should 
be  the  pleasantest  in  the  house.  It  should  be 
sunny,  as  large  as  possible,  well  aired,  and 
neither  too  near  nor  too  far  away  from  the 
living  rooms.  When  too  far  away,  the  occu- 
pant feels  herself  entirely  shut  out  from  the 
home  life,  and  when  too  near  she  is  disturbed 
by  the  trifling  things  that  annoy  the  daily  life 
of  the  family.  There  should  be  few  unneces- 
sary things  in  the  room,  as  all  extras  need 
care  and  dusting,  of  which  there  should  be  as 
little  as  possible.  The  heavy  furniture,  a  few 
pretty  and  restful  pictures,  the  baby  hamper 
and  basket  for  sleeping,  and  a  low  rocker  are 
all  that  are  needed.  Flowers  and  trifling 
things  for  variety  can  be  brought  in  from  day 
to  day,  and  will  furnish  pleasant  diversion  for 
the  lying  in  patient.  The  room  should  be  at 
a  pleasant  living  temperature,  and  a  good 
hymn   for   daily  use  in  the  room  is,  "  Let  a 

93 


94  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

Little  Sunshine  In."  Finally,  ventilate,  as  air 
is  the  most  necessary  article  of  furniture  in 
the  lying  in  room.  Open  the  window  at  the 
bottom  and  put  a  screen  before  it,  or  an  excel- 
lent method,  and  one  that  insures  against 
draughts,  is  this :  Fit  a  piece  of  board,  from 
six  to  eight  inches  wide,  either  into  the  top  or 
bottom  of  the  window  frame,  which  lowers 
or  raises  the  sash,  and  the  air  enters  between 
the  two  in  the  middle. 

The  bed,  preferably,  should  be  a  two-thirds 
iron  bedstead,  with  a  comfortable  mattress, 
linen  or  cotton  sheets  and  blankets.  The 
blankets  are  easily  washed  if  soiled,  while 
quilts  or  comforts  are  more  difficult  to  cleanse. 
The  narrow  bed  is  more  convenient  during 
the  confinement,  and  in  the  after  care  of  the 
patient. 

In  preparing  the  bed  for  the  confinement  a 
few  directions  are  necessary.  Over  the  mat- 
tress pin  a  square  of  oil-cloth,  or  preferably, 
rubber  sheeting,  as  the  oil-cloth  has  an  un- 
pleasant odor  for  some.  This  should  be  a 
yard  and  a  half  square,  and  pinned  at  each 
corner  to  the  mattress  with  strong  safety  pins, 
to  prevent  wrinkling.  A  pin  in  the  centre  of 
each    side    is   also   needed   to   keep   it   quite 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  05 

smooth.  Over  this  is  the  sheet  which  must  be 
"Well  tucked  in  all  around.  Over  this  a  second 
piece  of  rubber  sheeting  or  oil-cloth,  secured 
as  the  first,  and  over  this  the  second  sheet. 
This  we  term  a  double  bed,  and  so  prepared, 
the  necessity  of  changing  immediately  after 
delivery  is  avoided. 

For  the  coverings  a  sheet  and  one  pair  of 
light  blankets  are  sufficient.  After  the  child 
is  born,  the  change  in  the  bed  and  the  toilet  of 
the  woman  can  be  quickly  and  easily  made,  as 
all  that  is  necessary  for  the  bed  is  to  unpin  and 
draw  out  the  upper  sheet  and  rubber  protector 
and  it  is  fresh  and  clean  without  much  incon- 
venience to  the  attendant  or  weariness  to  the 
mother.  If  she  has  been  in  the  habit  of  wear- 
ing more  than  her  night  dress  for  the  night, 
she  will  need  a  light  summer  vest  on,  and 
added  to  this  a  cotton  gown.  During  labor 
this  can  be  folded  and  pinned  smoothly  above 
the  waist,  that  it  may  not  be  soiled  or  need 
change  immediately.  After  the  gown  is  se- 
cured, a  sheet  folded  twice,  forming  nearly  a 
square,  should  be  pinned  around  the  woman, 
and  fastened  at  one  side. 

The  breaking  of  the  waters  is  usually  a  cause 
of  alarm  to  a  woman  with  her  first  baby,  but 


96  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFEBINQ 

need  not  be.  It  is  simply  the  breaking  of  the 
sack  which  has  enclosed  the  child,  and  the  es- 
cape of  the  waters  in  which  it  has  been  resting 
so  cozily.  By  placing  a  large  piece  of  old  soft 
cloth  directly  under  the  patient  a  large  part  of 
the  waters  are  absorbed  and  the  bed  saved  so 
much.  A  bag  of  sterilized  cheese-cloth,  two 
feet  square  and  filled  with  wheat  bran,  is  also 
excellent  for  an  absorbent,  placed  under  the  hips. 

In  the  weeks  before  the  confinement  the 
woman  can  have  prepared  two  or  three  dozens 
of  napkins  for  herself.  A  piece  of  cheese-cloth 
eighteen  inches  long  and  ten  wide  is  cut,  and 
within  this  a  piece  of  absorbent  cotton,  eight 
inches  by  six  is  placed,  and  the  sides  of  the 
cheese-cloth  folded  over  and  secured.  This 
makes  a  soft  and  antiseptic  napkin.  When 
they  are  all  finished  they  may  for  greater  se- 
curity be  baked  for  an  hour  or  two  in  a  mod- 
erately heated  oven  and  tied  up  in  a  bag  to  be 
kept  clean  until  needed. 

There  is  no  trouble  in  keeping  the  bed  and 
room  sweet  and  fresh  all  the  time,  if  proper 
care  is  taken.  The  napkins  should  be  changed 
often  and  the  bed  linen  as  well,  and  no  odors 
will  be  retained  in  the  room  that  should  not 
be  there. 


MATEBNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  97 

Following  the  advent  of  the  baby  the  mother 
must  be  spared  company  for  several  days.  It 
is  far  easier  to  keep  out  all  company  than  to 
limit  the  number  of  callers,  hence  say  no  to  all. 
The  admiration  of  the  baby  by  the  fond  rela- 
tives, and  the  apprehensions  of  the  mother  lest 
it  will  not  come  up  to  their  plans  and  specifica- 
tions are  a  great  cause  of  unrest  and  should 
not  be  allowed.  After  the  getting  up,  there  is 
time  enough  for  the  visits  and  the  exchange  of 
compliments  and  regrets. 

To  the  women  in  whose  homes  the  coming 
of  a  little  one  is  no  more  a  matter  of  comment 
than  the  spring  house-cleaning  and  for  the 
coming  of  which  no  more  preparation  is  made, 
matters  are  different.  Such  a  case  I  attended 
two  days  ago,  and  on  my  visit  to-day  several 
of  the  neighbors'  children  were  in  to  see  the 
newcomer,  and  I  know  not  how  many  neigh- 
borly calls  had  been  made  beside.  The  only 
care-taker,  other  than  my  patient,  was  one  of 
the  seven  older  children  kept  home  from  school 
to  do  the  bidding  of  the  mother.  Up  to  the 
very  last  she  had  done  the  work  for  the  entire 
family,  and  at  the  birth  of  the  eleven  pound 
boy  she  did  not  utter  a  loud  noise. 

Do  such  perfectly  normal  births  make  it  un- 


98  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

necessary  to  write  books  of  this  character  ? 
Not  at  all.  The  mothers  in  such  an  environ- 
ment are  not  moved  by  things  that  to  a  more 
shielded  nature  would  be  positively  unbeara- 
ble. For  the  women  who  desire  to  know  all 
that  they  should  to  make  themselves  and  their 
children  the  best  possible,  we  cannot  say  too 
much,  and  to  get  such  books  into  the  hands  of 
the  masses  as  speedily  as  possible  is  the  aim  of 
all  writers  on  this  and  kindred  subjects.  With 
keener  appreciation  and  finer  susceptibilities 
the  children  of  these  mothers  will  read  and 
profit  by  these  books,  and  their  children  will 
enjoy  the  blessing  of  their  added  knowledge. 

For  the  comfort  of  the  mother,  all  disturbing 
things  should  be  kept  from  the  "  getting  strong 
room,"  and  she  be  left  to  the  enjoyment  of  her 
baby  undisturbed.  In  these  days  that  are  in- 
valuable to  her,  she  will  dream  high  dreams 
for  her  little  one,  and  build  wonderful  castles 
that  she  shall  make  realities  for  her  darling. 
She  will  in  the  days  that  she  lies  there  take  a 
mental  account  of  stock  of  her  ability,  her  ac- 
complishments, her  failings,  her  possibilities 
for  high  achievement.  She  will  give  herself 
to  improvement  as  she  has  never  done  before, 
for  what  an  incentive  she  has  for  progress 


MATEBNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  99 

now.  She  would  not  have  her  little  one  dis- 
cover, before  it  can  talk,  or  ever  after,  if  she  can 
help  it,  gross  faults  in  its  mother.  Then  how 
shall  she  guide  the  little  untried  feet  up  the 
steeps  of  life  which  she  has  herself  learned  a 
little  to  climb,  and  of  which  she  shall  learn 
more  and  more  as  her  child  grows.  What 
plans  and  high  purposes  she  has  for  her  baby, 
none  but  her  own  heart  and  the  dear  Lord  will 
ever  know,  and  these  dreams  will  come  back 
to  her  many  times  to  be  strengthened,  as  she 
ministers  to  the  wants  of  her  child  in  the  days 
to  come. 

The  hours  spent  with  her  husband,  in  plan- 
ning and  thinking  for  the  little  one  in  these 
days,  Avill  be  very  precious  to  her,  and  profit- 
able to  them  both. 


CHAPTER  XI 

SIGNS   OF   PREGNANCY   AND   THE   BIRTH 

To  EVERY  young  wife  the  question  will 
come,  "  How  may  I  know  when  I  am  indeed 
pregnant  ?  "  There  are  what  are  termed  ra- 
tional or  presumptive  signs,  and  sensible  or 
positive  signs.  In  the  early  months  we  have 
only  the  rational  or  presumptive  signs,  but 
since  it  can  do  no  harm  to  make  all  our  prepa- 
rations and  follow  habits  of  living  that  would 
be  best  did  we  have  the  positive  signs,  it  is  safe 
for  us  to  put  them  into  practice  at  once. 

The  rational  or  presumptive  signs  are  in 
evidence  from  the  beginning,  and  are,  first  of 
all,  cessation  of  the  menses.  When  a  married 
woman  skips  a  monthly  period,  she  may  safely 
conclude  that  she  is  pregnant  and  make  her 
plans  accordingly.  If  following  the  cessation 
of  the  monthly,  she  after  three  weeks  or  more, 
is  troubled  with  sickness  in  the  morning,  and 
a  bloating  of  the  abdomen,  a  tenderness  of  the 
breasts,  and  around  the  nipples  a  dark  areola 

100 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  101 

appears,  she  has  all  the  presumptive  signs,  and 
may  feel  as  reasonably  assured,  as  it  is  possible 
for  her  to  be,  that  she  is  pregnant. 

All  these  signs  appear  in  the  first  half  of  the 
term.  At  any  time  from  the  sixteenth  to  the 
twentieth  week  quickening  is  felt,  which  is  also 
one  of  the  presumptive  signs,  although  it  is 
usually  thought  of  as  among  the  positive.  The 
motion  is  so  very  slight  at  first  that  it  may  be 
easily  simulated  by  a  moving  of  gas  in  the 
bowels,  and  for  this  reason  we  class  this  among 
the  presumptive  signs.  When  however  the 
movements  persist  and  become  more  pro- 
nounced, it  may  be  set  down  as  a  positive 
symptom,  if  all  other  presumptive  signs  are 
present. 

Quickening  may  not  at  first  be  recognized 
by  one  who  is  in  her  first  pregnancy,  for  the 
first  motion  is  often  so  slight  that  it  is  either 
unnoticed  or  unrecognized.  It  may  be  little 
more  than  a  faint  throb,  but  when  this  is  felt 
its  repetition  should  be  looked  for,  which  will 
occur  soon  again  and  be  each  time  more  pro- 
nounced, and  soon  be  so  evident  as  to  be  un- 
mistakable. By  this  time  also  the  form  has  so 
changed  that  there  is  no  reason  any  longer  to 
be  in  doubt  as  to  the  condition. 


102  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SVFFEBINQ 

The  time  of  birth  is  reckoned  from  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  last  monthly.  From  this  date 
count  backward  three  months  or  ahead  nine 
months  (which  will  bring  the  same  result),  and 
add  seven  days  and  you  have  what  is  deemed 
the  probable  time  for  the  birth  to  take  place. 
Why  add  seven  days  ?  Because  the  most 
probable  time  for  conception  to  take  place  is 
soon  after  the  cessation  of  the  flow,  which  is 
in  round  numbers  accomplished  in  seven  days 
from  its  appearance.  It  is  possible,  however, 
for  conception  to  occur  immediately  before  the 
monthly  and  not  arrest  the  flow  at  all  or  only 
in  part.  When  this  is  the  case  the  birth 
will  occur  nearly  or  quite  two  weeks  be- 
fore the  other  calculation.  Again  it  may 
take  place  just  before  the  following  period, 
and  hence  be  two  weeks  later  than  first  calcu- 
lated. 

The  duration  of  pregnancy  is  estimated 
usually  as  280  days,  though  this  may  vary 
several  days  earlier  or  later.  We  name  the 
period  as  nine  calendar  months  or  ten  lunar 
months  of  twenty-eight  days  each.  By  any 
method  of  calculation  one  cannot  always 
reckon  the  exact  day  upon  which  pregnancy 
will  end,  but  can  come  approximately  near  it. 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFEBINQ  103 

SuiRciently  near  to  make  all  plans  and 
preparations. 

It  quite  frequently  occurs  that  a  woman 
menstruates  once,  and  occasionally  two  or 
three  times,  after  pregnancy  has  really  begun. 
In  such  case  it  will  be  difficult  to  fix  the  date 
with  any  degree  of  certainty.  She  will  do 
well  then  to  make  a  careful  note  of  the  time 
of  quickening,  which  she  may  reckon  is  about 
the  middle  of  the  period.  Her  increasing  size 
will  also  be  some  little  criterion,  but  too  much 
cannot  be  assumed  from  this. 

"When  this  uncertainty  exists  it  will  be  well 
to  have  two  nurses  in  mind,  lest  in  the  failure 
of  one,  from  other  engagements,  the  expectant 
mother  should  be  unprovided  for.  Following 
all  the  rules  in  the  earlier  chapter  on  Prepara- 
tion for  Motherhood,  she  can  safely  count  on 
coming  to  the  birth  in  a  well  and  happy  frame 
of  mind  and  body,  and  pass  throughout  this 
entirely  natural  experience  with  safety  and 
without  a  great  amount  of  difficulty. 

Let  me  repeat  again,  do  not  torture  yourself 
with  forebodings  of  evil,  because  you  have 
heard  of  one  or  two  cases  which  did  not  result 
as  happily  as  was  expected.  These  cases  are 
the  rare  exceptions,  and  all  Avomen  who  are 


104  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

well,  and  have  prepared  themselves  properly, 
go  through  the  ordeal  safely  and  surely.  Is 
there  a  larger  proportion  of  safe  transits 
through  any  other  experience  in  life  ?  Then 
why  should  a  woman  faint  and  lose  courage  ? 
She  certainly  has  no  reason  to. 

Only  those  who  can  be  cheerful  and  give 
courage  should  be  allowed  in  the  lying  in 
room.  Despondency  has  no  place  here  and 
must  not  be  permitted.  Find  a  pretext  for  the 
banishment  of  all  croakers  or  one  who  cannot 
go  around  with  smiles,  not  tears. 

At  the  time  of  labor  only  those  who  can  be 
of  assistance  should  be  in  the  room.  A  Bible 
text  comes  to  me  this  moment,  that  ought  to 
be  framed  and  hung  in  every  room  where  the 
advent  of  a  little  one  is  expected,  and  should 
be  thoroughly  believed  in  by  all.  "  In  quiet- 
ness and  in  confidence  shall  be  your  strength." 
Here  as  almost  nowhere  else  can  we  claim  this 
promise  from  the  Maker  of  all  souls. 

The  bowels  should  be  kept  in  good  condi- 
tion, and  as  soon  as  indications  show  that 
labor  is  near,  an  enema  or  injection  must  be 
taken,  and  the  lower  bowels  cleansed  of  all 
contents.  Then  no  obstruction  is  offered  by  a 
full  rectum. 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  105 

Often  about  two  weeks  before  your  full 
time  you  may  have  pains  that  simulate  labor 
pains,  and  which  may  be  mistaken  for  them. 
Tbey  are  usually  fleeting  in  character,  and 
have  not  the  true  regularity  of  labor  pains. 
They  may  occur  for  several  days  in  succession 
at  about  the  same  hour,  and  the  patient,  if  she 
feels  at  all  nervous,  should  have  the  physician 
called  that  her  fears  may  be  relieved.  These 
pains  are  usually  located  in  the  back  or  low 
down  in  the  groins,  or  may  be  shifting  and 
changeable  in  their  character  like  a  nervous 
woman,  and  their  cause  is  the  same,  irritated 
nerves. 

Labor  is  divided  into  three  distinct  stages, 
the  first  of  which  is  commonly  denominated 
the  getting-ready  stage,  that  is,  the  contrac- 
tions are  opening  the  mouth  of  the  womb  and 
preparing  it  for  the  egress  of  the  child.  In  a 
well-regulated  labor  this  stage  gives  little 
trouble,  save  as  the  woman  becomes  appre- 
hensive and  nervous  at  the  announcement 
that  her  child  is  about  to  be  born.  In  quiet- 
ness and  confidence  shall  be  your  strength. 
Remember,  that  if  you  allow  yourself  to  lose 
control  of  your  nerves  they  will  surely  control 
you.     A  further  comfort  I  have  to  give.     In 


106  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

these  clays  of  anEesthetics  in  labor,  no  woman 
has  anything  to  dread.  Do  I  always  give  it  ? 
Ko :  for  in  many  cases  labor  is  so  easy  and 
rapid  that  there  is  no  need  or  opportunity.  In 
my  last  eight  or  ten  cases  I  have  given  it  but 
twice. 

It  is  better  during  the  first  stage  for  the 
woman  to  keep  about  the  house,  and  be  occu- 
pied with  some  light  work  which  will  keep 
her  mind  from  herself.  If  the  pains  are  a 
little  nagging  and  trying,  a  good,  hot  sitz  bath 
will  do  wonders  in  quieting. 

When  there  is  the  first  inclination  to  bear 
downward  in  the  pains,  the  second,  or  expul- 
sive stage  has  begun.  This,  in  the  large  ma- 
jority of  cases  is  soon  over.  A  few  steady 
bearing-down  pains  will  bring  the  little  stran- 
ger, and  at  the  same  time  great  happiness  and 
rest  to  the  patient,  for  are  not  all  the  bugbears 
she  had  conjured  up  a  myth,  and  she  a  blessed 
mother  ? 

The  third  stage  is  completed  with  the  expul- 
sion of  the  placenta,  which  is  usually  accom- 
plished in  from  fifteen  minutes  to  a  half  hour 
after  the  child  is  born.  Then  the  mother's 
toilet  may  be  made  and  she  allowed  to  rest 
to  her  heart's  content. 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  107 

ITow  will  be  seen  the  convenience  of  having 
the  bed  prepared  as  already  described,  as  the 
outer  bed,  or  sheet  and  protective  rubber,  may 
be  removed  with  little  inconvenience  to  either 
patient  or  attendants.  A  glass  of  hot  milk,  or 
malted  milk  if  the  patient  prefers  it,  may  be 
administered  and  she  is  ready  for  a  good  sleep. 

As  soon  as  the  mother  is  prepared  for  her 
rest,  the  nurse  may  turn  to  the  baby.  Should 
there  be  a  room  adjoining,  which  is  sufficiently 
warm,  the  baby  had  better  be  taken  to  it,  as 
the  mother  will  be  less  disturbed.  When  it  is 
dressed  it  can  be  shown  to  the  mother  if  she 
is  not  already  asleep,  and  she  will  rest  with 
greater  delight. 

Now  a  word  as  to  the  propriety  of  giving 
anaesthetics  in  labor. 

If  there  is  a  sphere  for  it  in  surgery,  there 
surely  is  such  a  sphere  in  labor.  I  have  never 
heard  a  woman  physician  or  patient  dissent 
from  this,  but  I  have  heard  one  male  physician 
discourse  learnedly  upon  the  lack  of  necessity 
for  it,  that  since  the  Lord  ordained  suffering 
at  this  time,  it  was  hardly  right  to  attempt  to 
mitigate  it  with  anaesthetics,  etc.,  etc.  I  have 
sometimes  wondered  if  the  opinion  would  be 
changed  were  the  tables  turned  and  he  were 


108  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

the  sufferer.  As  I  recall  experiences,  men  are 
not  generally  as  patient  under  real  suffering 
as  are  most  women. 

As  I  have  said  in  another  chapter,  I  do  not 
consider  an  anaesthetic  always  necessary,  for 
many  cases  of  labor  are  so  normal  and  easy 
that  no  palliation  is  needed.  Only  in  the 
second  or  expulsive  stage  is  it  best  to  adminis- 
ter it,  as  it  will  often  retard  the  normal  con- 
tractions of  the  first  stage.  When  the  second 
or  expulsive  stage  is  unusually  prolonged  and 
severe,  it  is  but  merciful  to  alleviate  with 
enough  of  anaesthesia  to  deaden  one  to  the 
sensitiveness  of  the  pain. 

The  best  method  of  administering  it  is  to 
half  fill  a  drinking  glass  with  absorbent 
cotton,  and  drop  a  few  drops  of  the  anaesthetic 
upon  it,  and  hand  it  to  the  patient,  who  can, 
as  soon  as  she  feels  the  advent  of  a  pain,  take 
several  long,  full  breaths,  and  she  Avill  go 
through  it  with  little  knowledge  of  its  severity. 
She  may  seem  to  be  suffering  all  there  is  to 
suffer,  but  will  declare  after  it  is  all  over  that 
she  had  a  very  easy  time. 

Where  the  woman  has  lived  properly  there 
is  seldom  reason  for  the  administration  of  an 
anaesthetic,  but  we  have  to  deal  with  women 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFEBINQ  109 

who  have  not  always  lived  as  they  should,  or 
who  have  begun  so  late  that  time  has  not  been 
sufficient  to  effect  a  full  reform,  hence  the 
necessity  of  a  helper  in  destroying  the  sensa- 
tion of  severe  pain.  In  the  better  days  which 
are  coming,  and  are  even  now  on  the  wing, 
when  women  shall  have  fully  learned  what 
nature  if  followed  has  in  store  for  them,  these 
things  will  not  need  to  be  given,  save  in  ex- 
treme cases  of  deformity  or  abnormal  de- 
velopment. 


CHAPTER    XII 
baby's  wardeobe 

"Whenever  I  approach  the  subject  of 
baby's  clothes  and  think  of  directing  in  the 
preparation  of  the  wardrobe,  immediately  the 
desire  is  uppermost  to  say  all  the  tenderest 
and  softest  and  finest  things  possible,  and  my 
mind  runs  riot  in  extravagance  of  quantity 
and  quality  in  regard  to  the  choosing  and 
making  the  little  garments  that  are  to  wrap 
the  delicate  mites  of  humanity.  I  find  other 
writers  on  the  subject  have  the  same  propen- 
sity, as  was  evidenced  recently  by  an  article 
in  one  of  our  most  widely  read  periodicals. 
The  writer  recommended  nearly  two  hundred 
pieces,  fine,  delicate  and  soft,  as  necessary  in 
the  wardrobe  to  be  prepared,  and  I,  as  well  as 
many  young  mothers,  no  doubt,  stood  ap- 
palled when  I  measured  the  requirements  of 
the  list  with  the  length  of  many  pocketbooks, 
and  the  possibilities  of  the  laundresses. 

When  writing  and  reading  in  such  a  strain, 

110 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  111 

I  immediately  think  of  the  mother  of  ten  chil- 
dren, the  eldest  just  seventeen,  and  of  the 
■wardrobes  prepared  for  them.  In  the  last 
two  births  in  which  I  have  attended  her,  the 
meagreness  of  the  preparation  was  pitiful  in 
the  extreme.  A  dozen  diapers  of  heavy  can- 
ton flannel,  three  or  four  little  coarse  pinning 
blankets,  two  or  three  little  home-made  shirts, 
and  perhaps  four  cheap  outing  flannel  wrap- 
pers, composed  the  outfit.  The  seams  were 
all  on  the  inside  and  roughly  finished,  but  all 
this  did  not  prevent  the  babies  from  being  fat, 
rosy,  and  healthy.  I  say  this  for  the  little 
mothers  who  must  limit  the  expenses  for  their 
expected  darlings.  All  that  heart  could  wish 
is  by  no  means  necessary  to  the  well-being  of 
the  little  lives. 

If  you  have  time  and  money,  dear  mothers, 
it  is  very  lovely  to  have  all  the  pretty  things 
you  can  well  afford ;  but  do  not  forget  to  be 
happy  in  the  promise  of  your  baby,  even  if  the 
preparation  for  it  must  be  meagre.  It  is  the 
baby,  not  its  clothes,  which  most  concerns 
you,  and  the  world,  and  its  little,  blinking  self. 
Wrapped  in  an  Indian  blanket,  or  clothed  in 
purple  and  fine  linen,  it  is  all  the  same  to  the 
baby,  if  it  can  but  eat  and  sleep  to  its  heart's 


112  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

content,  and  its  future  is  not  based  on  the  con- 
tents, much  or  little,  of  its  baby  hamper. 

An  elaborate  wardrobe  is  not  necessary,  for 
the  baby  is  not  on  exhibition  for  some  months  ; 
and  wrapped  in  its  dainty  flannels,  clean 
and  wholesome,  it  is  pretty  enough  for  all 
who  desire  to  see  it  for  its  own  sake.  Had  I 
hundreds  of  dollars  to  spend  for  my  children's 
wardrobes,  still  a  small  amount  should  suflflce. 

First,  the  diapers.  I  have  found  for  these  a 
medium  weight  canton  flannel  the  best,  and 
all  should  not  be  made  of  the  same  size.  There 
should  be  at  least  two  sizes,  the  smaller  for 
the  tiny  baby,  and  the  larger  for  the  child 
grown  older.  The  smaller  size  should  be 
about  eighteen  inches  square,  and  will  do 
nicely  for  inner  diapers  when  more  than  one 
needs  to  be  worn  on  occasion.  Inside  these 
can  be  folded  a  small  piece  of  soft,  old  cotton 
or  linen  for  the  first  few  weeks,  and  in  this 
way  a  great  amount  of  washing  can  be  saved, 
as  the  small  pieces  can  be  burned  whfen  soiled. 
The  larger  diapers,  of  which  two  dozens  will 
not  be  an  extravagant  number,  while  one 
dozen  will  suflice  for  the  others,  will  need  to 
be  of  the  width  of  the  cloth,  which  comes 
about  three-quarters  of  a  yard  wide.      This 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  113 

number  will  prove  ample  as  one  should  never 
be  used  the  second  time  without  washing,  and 
a  change  is  always  ready. 

The  little  shirts  can  be  bought  for  almost 
any  price,  from  twenty-five  cents  upward. 
With  careful  washing,  which  should  be  in 
simply  tepid  water,  and  dried  in  an  atmos- 
phere as  warm  as  the  water  to  prevent  shrink- 
ing, three  will  be  a  sufficient  number  to  last 
the  baby  through  until  they  are  outgrown. 

The  pinning  blankets  I  fashion  from  a 
square  of  flannel,  or  from  the  mixture  of  cot- 
ton and  wool,  or  silk  and  wool,  the  latter  two 
not  shrinking  as  do  all  wool,  and  hence  better 
for  these  garments  which  need  such  frequent 
washing.  This  is  the  simple  pattern :  Get 
the  yard-square  material,  and  cut  from  a 
square  of  it  a  corner,  leaving  a  bias  edge  eight- 
een inches  long,  which  should  bo  faced  with 
a  bias  piece  of  the  flannel  an  inch  or  an  inch 
and  a  half  wide,  turned  over  on  the  right  side 
of  the  garment  and  catch-stitched  down.  This 
finishes  a  square  with  one  corner  cut  off.  The 
remaining  sides  should  be  turned  over  once  on 
the  right  side  and  caught  neatly  down.  The 
middle  of  the  faced  corner  is  pinned  in  the 
middle  of  the  little  shirt  in  the  back,  and  the 


114  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  8UFFEBINQ 

two  ends  lapped  and  pinned  in  front.  This 
leaves  a  smooth,  ungathered  surface  in  the 
back,  and  the  corners  lap  over  the  tiny,  red 
feet  in  front,  and  the  lower  corner  will  pin  up 
enclosing  the  feet  and  legs  in  a  smooth  pocket, 
which  is  comfortable  and  snug.  These  when 
soiled  can  be  easily  changed,  whereas  a  gar- 
ment which  goes  over  the  shoulders  and  arms 
must  necessitate  the  undressing  of  the  baby 
when  changing.  These  three  garments,  with 
the  band  and  the  flannel  or  outing  flannel 
slip  is  all  that  will  be  needed  for  the  first  few 
weeks,  making  them  comfortable  for  the  night 
without  changing  entirely,  as  days  and  nights 
are  the  same  to  the  little  one.  As  much  quiet 
and  restfulness  as  possible  is  thus  insured  to 
the  baby,  who  has  made  a  great  change  from 
a  decidedly  tropical  climate,  to  one  of  varying 
and  changeable  temperatures,  and  it  should 
therefore  not  be  exposed  more  than  is  neces- 
sary. 

The  bands  are  simply  a  piece  of  flannel  not 
more  than  six  inches  wide,  with  the  edge 
turned  over  once  and  catch-stitched  down  on 
the  right  side.  Three  or  four  of  these  are  all 
that  will  be  needed,  as  after  the  cord  has 
dropped  and  healed  there  is  no  longer  any 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  115 

need  for  the  bands.  A  half  dozen  of  the  soft 
outing  flannel  wrappers  are  ample,  and  they, 
trimmed  with  soft  lace  at  the  neck  and  sleeves, 
are  dainty  and  neat. 

All  these  garments  may  be  fashioned  of  the 
finest  and  softest  and  costliest  material,  or 
made  from  the  soft  shaker  or  outing  flannels 
of  which  there  are  so  many  pretty  patterns. 

A  yard  square  of  flannel  hemmed,  embroid- 
ered, or  otherwise  trimmed  handsomely  upon 
the  edge,  furnishes  a  blanket  to  wrap  the  baby 
in,  to  insure  it  from  draughts.  The  crocheted 
or  knit  jackets  will  be  needed  later,  and  are 
sometimes  preferred  to  the  blankets  at  first. 
Eemember  the  baby  is  to  be  made  comfortable 
to  eat  and  sleep,  and  further  than  this  should 
be  left  quiet  and  in  content  for  the  first  few 
weeks. 

Later  the  soft  unstarched  linen-lawn  slips 
and  flannel  skirts  may  be  added  to  its  dress. 
The  simpler  they  are  made  about  the  neck  and 
shoulders  the  more  comfortable  they  are  for 
the  tiny  wearer,  hence  as  little  trimming  as 
possible  is  best.  Instead  of  the  lawn,  wash 
silk  can  be  used  for  the  slips  if  desired ;  they 
are  soft  and  pretty  and  need  no  trimming,  save 
a  finish  of  herastitchinn:  at  the  bottom.     The 


116  3IATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

length  of  these  long  clothes  should  not  be 
more  than  three  quarters  of  a  yard  from 
shoulder  to  hem. 

The  flannel  skirts  are  best  made  in  one 
piece,  that  is,  the  waist  and  skirt  cut  in  one, 
and  to  insure  equability  of  dress  there  should 
be  sleeves  made  of  the  flannel.  If  however, 
one  prefers  to  have  the  shoulders  and  arras 
covered  with  the  jackets,  for  added  warmth, 
of  which  admiring  relatives  usually  furnish  a 
sufficient  number,  then  the  waists  of  the  flan- 
nel skirts  may  be  made  of  muslin  and  the 
sleeves  omitted.  This  garment  and  the  dress 
an  be  slipped  on  together,  thus  saving  the 
baby  from  unnecessary  handling  while  being 
dressed.  The  feet  should  be  always  covered 
with  the  dainty  w^ool  socks,  or  if  preferred, 
the  wool  stockings,  as  they  cannot  be  suffi- 
ciently wrapped  in  the  other  garments  to  in- 
sure warmth.  Eemeraber  all  the  time  that 
the  child  has  hitherto  inhabited  a  tropical 
climate,  and  must  gradually  become  accus- 
tomed to  the  temperate  one  in  which  he  finds 
himself. 

When  the  clothes  are  shortened,  at  least  a 
dozen  slips  will  be  needed,  unless  laundering 
can  be  done  oftener  than  once  a  week. 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING         117 

To-day  in  children's  dress  we  have  nearly 
reached  perfection.  Baby  is  dressed  for  com- 
fort and  healthfulness,  and  all  that  formerly 
made  his  days  miserable,  has  been  abolished. 
Tight  bands,  low-necked  and  short  sleeved 
dresses  are  things  of  the  past,  and  babies  no 
doubt  laugh  inwardly  at  the  change. 

The  cap  and  cloak  are  a  necessary  part  of 
the  outfit  from  the  first,  as  it  should  be  taken 
out  daily,  when  a  few  weeks  old.  These  may 
be  simple  and  unadorned  or  of  the  elaborate 
garments  which  are  found  in  the  stores. 


CHAPTEK  XIII 

WHAT   SHALL   I   DO   FOR  THE  BABY? 

The  wardrobe  of  our  baby  has  been  pre- 
pared long  before  he  opens  his  eyes,  and  be- 
gins his  career  of  ups  and  downs.  In  the 
mother's  room  is  the  hamper  or  baby  basket, 
small  or  large  as  the  case  may  be,  filled  with 
all  that  shall  go  to  make  it  happy  and  con- 
tented, in  so  far  as  the  outer  covering  can  do 
this  for  baby  or  man.  If  its  first  trunk  be  one 
of  several  tills,  in  each  there  is  a  place  for  the 
various  garments,  and  they  always  find  their 
place,  that  the  nurse  or  mother  may  waste  no 
precious  time  in  hunting  for  things  when 
needed.  In  one  side  of  the  upper  tray  will  bo 
a  place  set  aside  for  the  wash  cloths  and  tiny 
towels,  which  must  be  soft  and  smooth,  for 
the  baby  has  very  delicate  skin,  and  it  cannot 
be  treated  harshly,  if  you  would  not  be 
troubled  with  skin  diseases  by  and  by. 

The  First  Toilet. — When  the  mother  has 
been  made  comfortable  after  the  advent  of  the 

118 


MA  TEBNITY  WITHO  UT  SUFFERING  119 

little  stranger,  then  the  nurse  may  turn  her 
attention  to  the  baby.  "Wrapped  in  the  square 
of  old  flannel,  soft  and  warm,  as  it  was  when 
it  was  severed  from  its  mother,  and  laid  away 
in  some  sheltered  corner,  it  has  had  already  a 
good  rest,  and  will  as  a  rule  be  happy  in  its 
first  dressing.  In  the  low  rocker,  with  the 
large  bath  apron,  which  should  be  of  wool  and 
quite  heavy,  that  later  it  may  not  wet  through 
when  the  baby  is  wrapped  in  it  as  it  is  taken 
from  its  bath,  with  her  basket  at  her  side,  a 
saucer  of  lard  on  the  hearth  warming,  and  a 
basin  of  water  at  hand,  she  is  ready  for  the 
first  dressing  of  the  little  one. 

My  babies  are  not  treated  to  the  harsh  meas- 
ure of  a  full  bath  in  their  first  week,  but  are 
washed  only  where  oil  is  not  sufficient  to  re- 
move the  soil,  and  otherwise  oiled  with  a  soft 
cloth  or  bit  of  absorbent  cotton  dipped  in  the 
saucer  of  warm  lard.  Begin  with  the  head 
and  oil  it  well  all  over,  when  the  cheesy  sub- 
stance, called  vernix  caseosa,  can  be  rubbed  off 
readily  with  a  bit  of  old  flannel.  Grease  well 
in  all  the  folds  and  creases,  if  you  do  not  want 
your  baby  to  chafe  in  the  days  to  come.  No 
powder  is  necessary  at  this  first  bath  or  oiling, 
but  will  be  needed  later,  of  which  the  best  is 


120  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

borated  talcum.  This  comes  in  boxes  with 
perforated  tops,  that  it  may  be  easily  dusted 
in  places  where  needed.  As  you  oil  and  rub 
clean  one  part,  cover,  that  the  child  may  be 
kept  as  warm  as  possible,  and  take  kindly  to 
its  change.  Many  a  baby  has  been  spoiled  for 
its  baths  ever  after,  by  harshness  and  lack  of 
consideration  in  the  first  weeks  of  its  life.  By 
tenderness  and  care  the  bath  may  be  made  a 
delight  to  both  baby  and  its  care-taker,  who, 
to  my  mind,  should  always  be  the  mother. 
No  woman  who  has  given  over  her  babies  to 
the  care  of  hirelings,  can  know  the  sweetness 
of  ministry  to  its  growing  wants,  and  the 
blessedness  of  feeling  that  to  her  it  turns  as  a 
steel  to  a  magnet  in  all  its  after  days  for  com- 
fort in  its  trials  and  for  mothering,  because  it 
learned  in  its  blessed  first  days  of  helplessness 
that  it  was  mamma  who  made  it  happy  and 
comfortable.  Do  you  care,  dear  mother,  to 
barter  this  nestling  love,  for  the  pleasures  of 
society  or  for  a  few  hours  of  ease  daily  ? 
Many  things  can  be  well  turned  over  to  the 
nurse,  but  the  things  that  hold  your  baby  to 
you  and  make  it  look  to  you,  and  to  you  only, 
for  its  clinging,  cuddling  content  and  mother- 
love,  can  be  bartered  for  no  price,  if  in  after 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFEBINO  121 

years  you  hope  to  retain  it,  "  As  one  whom  his 
mother  comforteth,"  and  not  the  nurse. 

The  cord  is  dressed  by  drawing  the  stump 
through  a  hole  torn  in  a  four  inch  square  of 
absorbent  cotton,  which  is  then  wrapped  about 
it  and  turned  up,  and  then  we  are  ready  for 
the  band.  For  the  first  few  days,  or  until  the 
cord  drops,  the  band  is  the  strip  of  flannel 
previously  described.  This  band  should  not  be 
more  than  six  inches  wide  and  about  eighteen 
long.  This  will  be  ample  for  the  largest  baby 
and  can  be  wrapped  around  the  smallest  with- 
out hurt.  I  do  not  need  to  say  to-day,  that  the 
band  is  not  for  the  purpose  of  holding  the  baby 
together,  as  if  the  Creator  had  left  a  part  of 
his  fashioning  for  man  to  make  good  with 
girths  and  bands.  iN'o ;  the  band  is  simply  for 
keeping  the  dressing  of  the  cord  in  place  until 
the  cord  drops,  and  when  this  is  accomplished 
the  band  has  served  its  day,  and  should  be  laid 
aside  for  the  next  baby,  or  given  to  some  other 
newcomer  or  expected  one. 

Some  writers  advocate  the  knitted  band  to 
follow  the  flannel,  "That  the  child  may  be 
supported  lest  a  hernia  (breech)  result  from 
crying,"  When  you  can  prove  to  me  that  the 
soft  elastic  knit  thing  called  a  band,  can  have 


122  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

any  power  to  hold  the  baby  from  breaking  or 
tearing,  and  when  you  can  convince  me  that 
there  has  been  a  lack  of  finish  that  makes  a 
support  necessary,  I  too  will  advocate  the  band 
after  the  cord  has  healed.  This  I  mean  for 
the  rule,  to  which,  as  to  all  rules,  there  are  ex- 
ceptions. Occasionally  it  happens,  that  a  baby 
from  excessive  crying,  may  so  strain  the  mus- 
cles of  the  abdomen,  that  an  umbilical  hernia 
(a  breach  at  or  near  the  navel)  may  result. 
Where  this  is  feared,  a  band  of  strong  flannel, 
not  the  soft  knitted  thing,  may  be  worn  as 
long  as  necessary.  When  there  is  really  a  weak 
place  at  the  navel,  a  wooden  button  mold  an. 
inch  or  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter,  can  be 
sewed  between  the  band  and  a  small  piece  of 
flannel  on  the  inside,  with  the  rounding  part 
of  the  mold  toward  the  baby.  You  will  find 
some  difficulty  in  keeping  this  in  place,  but  it 
can  be  done  fairly  well  by  fastening  the  band 
to  the  diaper  each  time  a  change  is  made. 

The  little  shirt  is  the  next  garment  to  be  ad- 
justed, then  the  diaper.  Care  should  be  exer- 
cised in  adjusting  the  diaper,  as  there  is  dan- 
ger of  deformity  if  improperly  done.  If  the 
diaper  be  too  large,  the  quantity  which  is  folded 
down  between  the  little  legs  is  very  large,  and 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING  123 

a  spreading  of  the  hips  must  result,  which  gives 
a  bowed  appearance  to  the  legs.  On  the  other 
hand  if  the  diaper  be  pinned  too  tight  the  hips 
are  drawn  forward  unduly  and  "knock  knee" 
results. 

The  pinning  blanket  and  the  wrapper  are  all 
that  the  baby  will  need  save  the  blanket,  and 
the  bootees  or  long  socks,  which  are  better. 
By  all  means  the  last-named  garments  must 
not  be  omitted,  as  the  little  legs  are  moving 
about  so  much,  and  are  kicked  out  of  the  cov- 
ers sufficiently  to  keep  them  anything  but 
warm  most  of  the  time.  Many  colics  are 
traceable  to  the  omission  of  the  bootees  or 
socks. 

For  purposes  of  warmth,  the  knitted  band 
is  not  out  of  place  in  the  first  weeks  of  the 
baby's  life,  especially  if  it  makes  its  advent  in 
the  winter.  Baby's  needs  can  be  summed  up 
in  a  few  words,  and  these,  to  eat,  to  be  made 
comfortable,  and  to  sleep. 

From  the  first,  the  wise  nurse  or  mother 
will  accustom  the  baby  to  sleep  through  the 
night,  from  ten  o'clock  until  five  at  least,  and 
this  insures  a  good  night  not  only  for  the  child, 
but  for  the  mother  as  well.  A  little  painsta- 
king at  the  beginning  will  establish  this  habit  in 


124  MA  TEBNITY  WITHO  UT  SUFFERING 

the  child,  and  insure  a  better  natured  baby, 
and  a  more  rested  mother.  It  needs  firmness 
and  decision  on  the  part  of  the  care-tali:er  to 
fix  this  rule,  but  the  care  will  pay,  as  it  will 
be  made  up  many  times  in  the  ease  of  the  after 
attention  needed  by  the  little  one. 

The  best  cradle  for  the  baby  is  one  without 
rockers,  a  good  clothes-basket  serving  the  pur- 
pose admirably.  This  lined  and  padded  inside,  a 
hard  pillow  or  folded  pad  for  the  mattress,  a 
pair  of  small  soft  blankets  and  a  light  cover, 
will  furnish  it  nicely.  Hot  water  bottles  can 
so  easily  be  placed  about  the  baby  to  supply 
needed  warmth  if  the  weather  be  cold  or  the 
tiny  specimen  of  humanity  be  at  all  under  tone, 
and  the  high  sides  are  so  sure  a  protection  from 
all  draughts,  that  the  basket  becomes  an  ideal 
resting-place,  and  the  baby  should  be  in  it  for 
a  large  part  of  the  twenty-four  hours  of  each 
day.  Taken  up  at  regular  intervals  to  be  made 
dry  and  comfortable  and  fed,  and  then  returned 
to  the  bassinette,  is  the  program  for  the  ideal 
baby.  But  many  babies  are  not  ideal.  The 
rule  is,  make  them  conform  to  right  habits  as 
far  as  possible,  and  if  they  do  not  take  kindly 
to  it  at  first  they  can  be  gradually  coaxed  into 
line. 


MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFEBING  125 

If  the  baby  is  to  be  exhibited  at  all,  let  it  be 
looked  at  in  its  bassinette,  but  do  not  allow  it 
to  be  disturbed.  Yery  much  depends  upon  the 
habits  of  the  child  in  its  first  days.  If  it  be 
disturbed  and  irregular  then,  it  will  need  weeks 
to  adjust  it  to  regular  hours  of  eating  and 
sleeping.  While  it  has  been  quite  scientifically 
demonstrated  that  babies  can  neither  see  nor 
hear  in  its  first  weeks,  yet  it  is  quite  certain 
that  it  is  highly  susceptible  to  its  surroundings, 
and  can  be  taught  many  things  which  it  must 
be  made  to  forget  in  the  weeks  that  follow,  if 
there  is  to  be  comfort  in  the  household. 

When  the  mother  has  had  her  first  sleep  it 
is  well  to  put  the  baby  to  the  breast,  as  nature 
has  provided  the  first  milk  as  a  laxative,  and 
it  should  be  administered  quite  early.  Once 
in  two  hours  the  child  should  be  fed  for  its  first 
two  months,  and  then  time  lengthened  a  half 
hour  each  month  until  the  growing  child  is 
upon  three  meals  a  day. 

If  it  cannot  be  nursed,  the  matter  is  one 
"which  no  book  can  settle,  as  the  food  chosen 
must  be  suited  to  the  individual  baby  (and 
they  are  early  very  marked  individuals).  Do 
not  depend  upon  the  say-so  of  any  old  wife  or 
neighbor  in  so  important  a  matter  as  the  proper 


126  MATERNITY  WITHOUT  SUFFERING 

food  for  your  child,  but  go  to  your  physician 
at  once  and  follow  directions  carefully.  In  the 
multiplicity  of  excellently  prepared  foods  to- 
day, it  is  not  a  thing  impossible  to  find  one 
which  will  be  suited  to  every  child. 


THE  END 


u 


Pure  Books  on  Avoided  Subjects 


Books  for  Men 

By  Sylvanus  Stall,  D.  D. 

'"What  a  Young  Boy  Ought  to  Know.'* 
''What  a  Young  Man  Ought  to  Know." 
"What  a  Young  Husband  Ought  to  Know." 
"What  a  Man  of  45  Ought  to  Know." 

Books  for    Women 

By  Mrs.  Mary  Wood- Allen,  M.D., 
And  Mrs.  Emma  F.  A.  Drake,  M.  D. 

"What  a  Young  Girl  Ought  to  Know." 
"What  a  Young  Woman  Ought  to  Know." 
"What  a  Young  Wife  Ought  to  Know." 
"What  a  Woman  of  45  Ought  to  Know." 


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**What  a  Young  Girl  Ought  to 
Know/' 

BY  MRS.  MARY  WOOD-ALLEN,  M.  D. 
Coadeosed  Table  of  Contents 

PART  I 

^e  orig^in  of  life — One  plan  in  all  forms  of  life — How 
plants  grow  from  the  seed — They  feed  on  the  soil,  grow 
and  mature — How  the  plant  reproduces  itself — The 
flower,  the  pollen,  the  pod,  the  seed — The  office  of  bees 
and  insects  in  fertilization. 

PART  II 

Fishes  and  their  young — The  parent  fishes  and  the 
baby  fishes — The  seeds  of  plants  and  eggs  of  fishes, 
birds  and  animals — How  fishes  never  know  their  baby 
offspring — Warm  blooded  animals — ^I<essons  from  birds 
—Their  nests,  eggs  and  little  ones. 
PART  III 

Animals  and  their  young — The  place  which  God  has 
prepared  for  their  young — Beginning  their  independent 
life — Human  babies  the  most  helpless  and  dependent  of 
all  creatures — The  relations  of  parent  and  child — The 
child  a  part  of  each  parent — Heredity  and  its  lessons. 
PART  IV 

The  value  of  good  health — The  care  of  the  body — The 
body  a  temple  to  be  kept  holy — Girls  should  receive 
their  instruction  from  their  mothers — The  body  the 
garment  which  the  soul  wears — Effects  of  thoughts 
upon  life  and  character — Value  of  good  companions, 
good  books  and  good  influences — What  it  is  to  become 
a  woman. 


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WHAT    EMINENT    PEOPLE   SAY 


Francis  E.  "Willard,  LL.D. 

"I  do  earnestly  hope  that  this  book,  founded  on  a 

strictly  scientific  but  not  forgetting   a  strong  ethical 

basis,  may  be  well  known  and  widely  read  by  the  dear 

girls  in  their  teens  and  the  young  women  in  their  homes. " 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  B.  Grannis 
"These  facts  ought  to  be  judiciously  brought  to  the 
intelligence  of  every  child  whenever  it  asks  questions 
concerning  its  own  origin." 

Mrs.  Harriet  Lincoln  Coolidge 
"It  is  a  book  that  mothers  and  daughters  ought  to 
own." 

Mrs.  Katharine  L,  Stevenson 
"The  book  is  strong,  direct,  pure,  as  healthy  as  a 
breeze  from  the  mountain-top." 

Mrs.  IsafacIIe  MacDonald  Alden,  **Pansy** 

"It  is  just  the  book  needed  to  teach  what  most  people 
do  not  know  how  to  teach,  being  scientific,  simple  and 
plain-spoken,  yet  delicate." 

Miss  Grace  H.  Dodge 

"I  know  of  no  one  who  writes  or  speaks  on  these  great 
subjects  with  more  womanly  touch  than  Mrs.  Wood- 
Allen,  nor  with  deeper  reverence.  When  I  listen  to  her 
I  feel  that  she  has  been  inspired  by  a  Higher  Power." 

Ira  D.  Sanfcey 

"Every  mother  in  the  land  that  has  a  daughter  should 
.secure  for  her  a  copy  of  "What  a  Young  Girl  Ought  to 
Know."    It  will  save  the  world  untold  sorrow." 


**What  a  Young  Woman  Ought 
to  Know/' 

BY  MRS.  MARY  WOOD-ALLEN,  M.  D. 
Condensed  Table  of  Contents 

PART  I 

CHILDHOOD  AND  GROWTH 

■Woman's  worth — Importance  of  care  of  the  body^ 
How  to  obtain  health — Waste  and  repair — Questions  of 
food — Importance  of  rest  in  sleep — The  oflSce  and  im- 
portance of  correct  breathing — Injuries  from  tight 
clothing — Physical  culture — Exercise  and  recreation — 
The  value  of  the  bath. 

PART  II 

■WOMANHOOD 

The  endowment  of  new  powers — The  conferring  of 
life — Brain  building  and  character  formation — Soul  and 
self — Special  physiology — Woman's  special  bodily  en- 
dowments— The  crisis  in  the  girl's  life — Ovulation  and 
menstruation — Their  significance — Causes  and  cures  of 
disturbed  physical  conditions — Painful  periods  and  dis- 
placements— Special  care  of  health  at  special  times — 
Many  healthful  suggestions  suited  to  the  physical  needs 
of  young  women — Secret  vice  and  its  consequences — The 
relation  of  pure  young  women  to  young  men — Friend- 
ships. 

PART  III 

What  is  love — Should  include  mental  conjugality, 
spiritual  sympathy  and  physical  attraction— Responsi- 
bility in  marriage — Antecedents,  talents  and  habits  of 
young  man — The  law  of  heredity — Beneficial — Effects  of 
stimulants  upon  offspring — Inherited  effects  of  immor- 
ality— Good  characteristics  also  transmitted — Requisites 
in  a  husband — Engagements — Benefits  of,  evils  of — 
Holding  to  the  highest  ideals — Weddings — Gifts,  tours 
and  realities  of  life. 


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WHAT    EMINENT    PEOPLE    SAY 


Lady  HentY  Somerset 

"  An  extremely  valuable  book,  and  I  wish  that  it  may 
be  widely  circulated." 

Mrs.  Laura  Ormiston  Chanf 

"  The  book  ought  to  be  in  the  hands  of  every  g^rl  on 
her  fifteenth  birthday,  as  a  safe  guide  and  teacher  along 
the  difficult  path  of  womanhood." 

Margaret  'Warner  Morley 

"There  is  an  awful  need  for  the  book,  and  it  does 
what  it  has  undertaken  to  do  better  than  anything  of  the 
kind  I  ever  read." 

Mrs.  May  Wright  Sewall 

"I  am  profoundly  grateful  that  a  subject  of  such  in- 
formation to  young  woman  should  be  treated  in  a  man- 
ner at  once  so  noble  and  so  delicate." 

Elizabeth  Cady  Stanton 

"  It  is  a  grave  mistake  for  parents  to  try  to  keep  their 
children  ignorant  of  the  very  questions  on  which  they 
should  have  scientific  information." 

Lillian  M.  N.  Stevens 

"  There  is  a  great  need  of  carefully,  delicately  written 
books  upon  the  subjects  treated  in  this  series.  I  am 
gratefully  glad  that  the  author  has  succeeded  so  well, 
and  I  trust  great  and  enduring  good  will  be  the  result." 

Mrs.  Matilda  B.  Carse 

"It  is  pure  and  instructive  on  the  delicate  subjects 
that  mean  so  much  to  our  daughters,  to  their  future  as 
homekeepers,  wives  and  mothers,  and  to  the  future  gen- 
erations." 


**What  a  Young  Wife  Ought 
to  Know/* 

BY  MRS.  EMMA  F.  A.  DRAKE,  M.  D,^ 
Condensed  Table  of  Contents 

HUSBAND  AND  HOME 

The  choice  of  a  husband — One  worthy  of  both  love  and 
respect — Real  characteristics  necessary — Purity  vs.  "wild 
oats  " — What  shall  a  young  wife  expect  to  be  to  her  hus- 
band ? — His  equal,  but  not  his  counterpart — His  helpmeet 
Wifehood  and  motherhood — Should  keep  pace  with  his 
mental  growth — Trousseau  and  wedding  presents — The 
foolish  and  ruinous  display  at  weddings — Wedding  pres- 
ents and  unhappiness — Wise  choice  of  furniture — The 
best  adornments  for  the  home. 

THE  MARITAL  RELATIONS 

_  The  marital  state  should  be  the  most  holy  of  sanctua- 
ries— Its  influence  upon  character — Modesty — Reproduc- 
tion the  primal  purpose — Love's  highest  plane — The 
right  and  wrong  of  marriage — The  wrongdoings  of  good 
men. 

PARENTHOOD 

Preparation  for  motherhood — Motherhood  the  glory  of 
womanhood — Maternity  productive  of  health — Clothing 
— Exercise — Baths,  etc.,  etc. — ^The  child  the  expression  of 
the  mother's  thoughts — The  five  stages  of  prenatal 
culture. 

PREPARATION  FOR  FATHERHOOD 

Questions  which  test  the  fitness  of  young  men  for 
marriage — Many  voung  men  of  startling  worth — Effects 
of  bad  morals  and.  wayward  habits — Tobacco  and  Alco- 
holics— Attaining  the  best — The  father  reproduced  in  his 
children. 

ANTENATAL  INFANTICIDE 

The  moral  responsibility  of  parents  in  heredity — The 
mother's  investment  of  moulding  power-Parents  workers 
together  with  God — Ailments  during  expectant  mother- 
hood— Maternity  a  normal  state — Development  of  the 
foetus — Minuteness  of  the  germ  of  human  life — Changes 
which  take  place — I,ife  present  the  moment  conception 
takes  place — The  sin  of  tampering  with  the  work  of  the 
Infinite. 

THE  LITTLE   ONE 

Baby's  wardrobe — The  question  that  comes  with  flut- 
tering signs  of  life — Importance  of  wise  choice  of  material 
and  style  of  dress — Choice  of  physician  and  nurse  of  real 
consequence — The  birth  chamber — Surroundings  and 
after-care  of  the  mother — The  care  of  the  baby — The  re- 
sponsibilities and  joys  of  motherhood — The  mother  the 
baby's  teacher — Common  ailments  of  children  and  how 
to  treat  them — Guarding  against  vice — The  training  of 
children—- Body  building — Helps  for  mothers. 

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WHAT  EMINENT  PEOPLE  SAY 


Mrs.  Margaret  E«  Sangster 

"Joyfully  I  send  you  my  unqualified  endorsement  of 
the  excellent  book,  'What  a  Young  Wife  Ou^ht  to  Know. ' 
I  wish  every  young  and  perplexed  wife  might  read  its 
pages." 

Mrs.  Booker  T.  Washington 

'"I  spent  yesterday  and  last  night  reading  your  book 
and  I  wish  to  say  that  I  consider  this  book  a  useful 
friend  to  every  young  woman." 

Charles  H.  Parkharst,  D.  D. 

"It  handles  delicate  matters  in  a  manner  as  firm  as  it  " 
is  delicate,  and  dignifies  even  what  is  common  by  the 
purity  of  the  sentiment  and  nobility  of   intent  with 
which  it  is  treated." 

Marietta  Holly  (  Josiah  Allen^s  Wife) 

"It  is  an  excellent  book;  if  every  young  wife  of  to-day 
would  read  it  and  lay  its  lessons  to  heart  it  would  make 
the  to-morrow  much  easier  and  happier  for  all  of  Bve's 
daughters." 

W.  G.  Sperry,  M.  D. 

"Young  wives,  for  whom  this  book  is  intended,  will 
receive  great  benefits  from  heeding  its  wise  words.  It 
is  good  for  incitement,  guidance,  restraint." 

Mrs.  Joseph  Cook 

"It  illuminates  the  Holy  of  Holies  in  the  most  sacred 
of  earthly  relationships  with  the  white  liSht  of  truth 
and  purity." 

Julia  Holmes  Smith,  M.  D, 

"Be  sure  Dr.  Drake's  book  is  part  of  your  daughter's 
outfit.  I  have  never  read  anything  which  so  thoroughly 
met  the  use  it  was  designed  for  as  this  volume. 

J.  P.  Sutherland,  M.  D. 

"A  subject  difficult  to  treat  has  been  handled  by  Dr. 
Drake  with  delicacy,  earnestness  and  straightforward- 
ness.   It  is  a  practical  book  destined  to  do  good." 


.**Whai  a  Woman  of  Forty-five 
Ought  to  Know/* 

BY  MRS.  EMMA  F.  A.  DRAKE,  M.  D. 
Condensed  Table  of  Contents 

KNOWLEDGE  OP  CLIMACTERIC  NECESSAB.Y 

Why  women  are  not  prepared  to  meet  the  climacteric 
—The  fear  that  unnerves  many — ^Error  of  views  concern- 
ing "  Change  of  Life  " — Correct  teaching  stated — In- 
fluence of  medical  literature — Three  periods  in  a 
woman's  life — Relation  of  early  habits  to  later  aches  and 
ills — The  menopause — Conditions  which  influence  the 
period  of  the  climacteric — The  age  at  which  it  usually 
appears — Effects  of  heredity — Childless  women — Moth- 
ers of  large  families— Effects  of  different  occupations — 
Excesses. 

HERALDS  OP  CHANGE— DISEASES  AND  REMEDIES 

'  Mental  states  during  menopause — Change  in  blood 
currents — Flushes,  chilliness,  dizziness,  etc. — Nervous 
symptoms — Disturbed  mental  and  nervous  equilibriums 
— Nature  as  woman's  helper — Troublesome  ailments — 
Mental  troubles  considered— Suggested  help — Cancer — 
Benefits  named — Apprehensions  dispelled — How  to  ban- 
ish worry — Simplifying  daily  duty — An  eminent  physi- 
cian's prescription — A  word  to  single  women — Reluctance 
of  unmarried  women  to  meet  the  menopause — How  to 
prolong  one's  youth — Dress  during  this  period — The 
mother  "At  Sea" — Guarding  against  becoming  gloomy 
— Effects  of  patent  medicine  advertising— Drug  fiends — 
Lustful  indulgence. 

,   WHAT  BOTH  HUSBAND  AND  WIFE  SHOULD  REMEMBER 

Slights  and  inattentions  keenly  felt  by  her — Need  of 
patience — A  word  of  private  counsel — Value  of  little 
attentions — Wife's  duty  to  her  husband — Holding  hus- 
band's affections — Making  home  attractive — Unselfish- 


AUTO-SUGGESTION  AND  OTHER  SUGGESTIONS 
Influence  of  mind  over  body — The  mind  as  a  curative 
agent — How  to  rise  out  of  depression — Mental  philosophy 
and  physical  betterment — Relation  of  health  to  sight — 
Care  of  the  teeth — The  hair — Constipation — Self  cure — 
Choice  of  foods — Exercise— Physical  development — Ex- 
ercise of  mind  and  soul. 


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*What    a  Woman  of  Forty-Five 
Ought  to  KnoV 


PRAISED   BY  THE   PRES9 


"Will_  dispell  apprehensions  aroused  by  groundless 
forebodings." — Reformed  Church  Messenger. 


"If  the  hygienic  advice  in  this  book  is  followed  it  will 
lengthen  the  lives  of  women  and  make  their  closing 
years  the  happiest  and  most  useful  of  all." — Herald  atM 
Presbyter. 


"In  no  line  of  literature,  perhaps,  is  such  a  book  so 
much  needed." — New  Haven  Leader, 


"Those  who  peruse  the  book    only    from    prurient 
curiosity  will  be  disappointed." — Cleveland  World. 


"Should  be  read  by  every  woman  nearing  and  passing 
middle  life." — Pittsburg  Gazette. 


"Written  in  that  wholesome  sympathetic  manner 
characteristic  of  all  the  books  in  the  Self  and  Sex 
Series." — Cleveland  Daily  World. 


"Full  of  most  admirable  practical  advice  and  it  is 
written  in  a  sympathetic  manner  which  is  the  outcome 
of  oneness  of  sex  between  the  author  and  those  whom 
she  addresses." — Syracuse  Herald. 


"There  are  some  things  that  a  woman  of  forty-five 
does  not  know — things  which  she  regards  with  more  or 
less  terror  in  the  expectation — which  terror  it  is  the 
object  of  Mrs.  Drake  to  dispel." — Rochester  Herald. 


"There  is  nothing  in  the  book  that  could  not  be  pro- 
claimed from  the  house-tops,  and  there  is  everything  in 
it  that  intelligent  and  thoughtful  women  should  read 
and  keep  for  their  daughters  to  read  when  the  proper 
time  zovsxii'i.— Newark  Daily  Advertiser. 


*'What  a  Young   Boy  Ought  to 
Know/' 

BY  SYLVANUS  STALL,  D.  D. 
Condensed  Table  of  Contents 

PART  I, 
God's  purpose  in  endowing  plants,  animals  and  man 
■with  reproductive  power — The  question  of  the  origin  of 
life  a  natural  and  proper  one — Difference  between  creat- 
ing and  making — How  God  now  creates  or  reproduces 
the  flowers,  insects,  fishes  and  animals — The  mamma 
and  papa  plants  and  the  baby  plants — ^The  mamma 
and  papa  nature  in  the  stalk  of  com — The  two  natures 
united  in  the  same  flower — Separated  in  other  plants — 
The  office  of  the  wind  and  insects  in  fertilizing  the 
flowers — The  mamma  and  papa  natures  united  in  the 
same  oyster — The  life  of  the  baby  oyster — The  two  na- 
tures separated  in  the  fishes — The  eggs  and  the  baby 
fishes — How  seeds  are  made  to  grow  and  how  eggs  are 
hatched — The  beautiful  lives  of  parent  birds — The 
bird's  nest,  the  eggs  and  the  baby  birds — Why  the  eggs 
of  animals  may  not  be  exposed  in  a  nest — The  nest 
■which  God  has  prepared  for  them — The  hatching  of  the 
egg  or  the  birth  of  the  animal — The  creation  of  Adam 
and  Rve— God  created  man  with  power  s'milar  to  his 
creative  power — The  purity  of  parentage. 

PART  II 

The  manner  in  which  the  reproductive  orgfans  are  in- 
jured in  boys  by  abuse — Comparative  anatomy,  or  points 
of  resemblance  between  bodies  of  birds,  animals  and 
man — Man  the  only  animal  with  a  perfect  hand — With 
the  hand  he  constructs,  builds  and  blesses — With  the 
hand  he  smites,  slays  and  injures  others,  and  degrades 
himself. 

PART  III 

The  consequences  in  boys  of  _  the  abuse  of  the  repro- 
ductive organs — Need  of  proper  information — The  moral 
effects  first  to  manifest  themselves — How  secret  sin  af- 
fects the  character  of  boys — ESects  upon  the  body  and 
the  nerves — Effects  upon  the  brain  and  mind— The 
physical  effects  that  follow. 

PARTS  rv  and  V 
How  boys  may  preserve  their  bodies  in  purity  and 
strength — Our  duty  to  aid   others  to  avoid  pernicious 
habits,  and  to  retain  or  regain  their  purity  anci  strength. 

PARTS  VI  and  VII 
How  purity  and   strength   may  be  measurably   re- 
gained— The  age  of  adolescence  or  puberty  and  its  at- 
tendant changes — Its  significance  and  its  dangers. 

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**What  a  Young  Boy  Ought  to 
Know*' 


For  Boys  under  Sixteen  Years  of  Age 


WHAT    EMINENT    PEOPLE    SAY 

Theodore  L.  Cuyiet,  D.D, 

"  'What  a  Young  Boy  Ought  to  Know'  ought  to  be  in 
every  home  where  there  is  a  boy." 

Lady  Henry  Somerset 

"  Calctilated  to  do  an  immense  amount  of  good.  I 
sincerely  hope  it  may  find  its  way  to  many  homes." 

Joseph  Cook,  D.  D.,  LL.  D, 

"  It  is  every  where  suggestive,  inspiring  and  strategic 
in  a  degree,  as  I  think,  not  hitherto  matched  in  litera- 
ture of  its  class." 

Charles  L.  Thompson,  D.D. 
"  Why  was  not  this  book  written  centuries  ago  ?  " 

Anthony  Comstock 
"  It  lifts  the  mind  and  thoughts  upon  a  high  and  lofty 
plane  upon  delicate  subjects." 

Edward  W.  Bofc 

"  It  has  appealed  to  me  in  a  way  which  no  other  book 
of  its  kind  has." 

Bishop  John  H.  Vincent,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 
"You  have  handled  with  great  delicacy  and  wisdom 
an  exceedingly  difficult  subject." 

John  Willis  Baer 
"  I  feel  confident  that  it  can  do  great  good,  and  I  mean 
that  my  boys  shall  have   the  contents  placed    before 
them." 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  Livermore,  LL.  D. 

"Full  of  physiological  truths,  which  all  children 
ought  to  know,  at  a  proper  age  ;  will  be  read  by  boys 
without  awakening  a  prurient  thought." 

Josiah  Strong,  D.D. 

"  A  foolish  and  culpable  silence  on  the  part  of  most 
parents  leaves  their  children  to  learn,  too  often  from 
vicious  companions,  sacred  truth  in  an  unhallowed 
way." 


'*What  a  Young  Man  Ought  to 
Know/' 

BY  SYLVANUS  STALL,  D.  D. 
Condensed  Table  of  Contents 

STRENGTH 

The  value  of  physical  strength— the  weak  man  handi- 
capped— Three-fold  nature  of  man — Relation  of  the 
physical,  intellectual  and  moral— Impair  one,  you  injure 
all — The  physical  foundation — Man's  strong  sexual  na- 
ture— Sexuality  strongly  marked  in  all  great  men— Im- 
portance of  manly  mastery  of  sexual  nature — Personal 
purity — Only  one  moral  standard  for  men  and  women, 

WEAKNESS 

Inherited  weakness— How  overcome — Acquired  weak- 
ness— How  produced — The  effects  ot  secret  vice — What 
should  be  done — I,osses  in  sleep— When  to  consult  a 
physician— Danger  from  quacks  and  charlatans — What 
are  normal  andf  abnormal  losses— Medical  authorities 
quoted — Subject  illustrated— Important  directions. 

SOCIAL  VICE 

Alarming  ignorance  concerning  the  diseases  which 
accompany  vice — Why  physicians  do  not  acquaint  their 
patients  with  the  nature  of  these  diseases — The  preva- 
valence — All  forms  of  venereal  diseases  leave  terrible 
results — Character  and  consequences  of  gonorrhcea — 
lyater  complications — Chordee, stricture,  blindness,  etc. — 
How  healthy  brides  become  early  and  permanent  inva- 
lids— Chancroid  and  chancre — The  primary,  secondary 
and  tertiary  forms  of  syphilis — The  beginning,  progress 
and  end — Can  it  ever  be  cured — May  the  man  ever 
marry— Effects  upon  wife  and  children. 

THE  REPRODtJCTrVE  ORGANS 

Their  purpose  and  prostitution— Marriage  a  great 
blessing — Difference  between  creation  and  procreation 
—All  life  from  the  seed  or  the  egg — The  reproduction  of 
plants,  fishes,  birds  and  animals  contrasted — An  inter- 
esting study. 

man's  RELATION  TO  WOMAN 

Importance  of  a  right  relation  to  women— The  nature 
of  marriage — The  friends  and  foes  of  marriage — Who 
should  not  marry — The  selection  of  a  wife — Some  gen- 
eral rules — Importance  of  great  caution — Causes  of  un- 
happiness  in  married  life — Early  and  late  marriages. 

HINDRANCES  AND    HELPS 

The  choice  of  companions,  books,  pictures,  amuse- 
ments, recreations — L,iquors  and  tobacco — Self-mastery 
— Right  aim  in  life — ludustrj^,  early  rising — The  influ- 
ence of  an  ennobling  affection — Education — The  Sal>- 
bath,  the  Church  and  the  Bible. 

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''What  a  Young  Man  Ought  to 
KnoV 


WHAT  EMINENT  PEOPLE  SAY 

Francis  E.  Clark,  D.  D. 

"It  is  written  reverently  but  very  plainlv,  and  I 
believe  will  save  a  multitude  of  young  men  1  rem  evils 
unspeakable." 

John  Clifford,  D.  D. 

"One  of  the  best  books  for  dawning  manhood  that 
has  fallen  into  my  hands.  It  goes  to  the  roots  of  human 
living.    It  is  thoroughly  manly." 

J.  Wilbur  Chapman,  D.  D. 

"I  bear  willing  testimony  that  I  believe  this  book 
ought  to  be  in  the  hands  of  every  young  man  in  this 
country." 

Paul  F.  Munde,  M.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Professor  of  Gynescology  in  the  New  York  Polyclinic 
and  at  Dartmouth  College. 
"I  most  heartily  commend  not  only  the  principle  but 
the  execution  of  what  it  aims  to  teach." 

The  Right  Rev.  "William  N.  McVicfcar,  D.  D. 

"I  heartily  endorse  and  recommend  'What  a  Young 
Man  Ought  to  Know.'  I  believe  that  it  strikes  at  the 
very  root  of  matters." 

Ethclbcrt  D.  Warfield,  LL.  D. 

"The  subject  is  one  of  the  utmost  personal  and  social 
importance,  and  hitherto  has  not  been  treated,  so  far  as 
I  am  aware,  in  such  a  way  as  to  merit  the  commendation 
of  the  Christian  public. 

Frank  W.  Obcr 
"It  will  save  many  a  young  fellow  from  the  blast  and 
blight  of  a  befouled  manhood,  wrecked  by  the  wretched 
blunderings  of  an  ignorant  youth." 

Frederick  Anthony  Atkins 

"Such  books  as  yours  have  long  been  needed,  and  if 
they  had  appeared  sooner  many  a  social  wreck,  whose 
fall  was  due  to  ignorance,  might  have  been  saved." 


'*What  a  Young  Husband  Ought 
V  to  Know/* 

BY  SYLVANUS  STALL,  D.  D. 
Condensed  Table  of  Contents 

PART  I 

WHAT  HE  OUGHT  TO  KNOW  CONCERNINd  HIMSELF 

The  true  foundation  for  happiness  in  married  life — 
Physical,  intellectual  and  sexual  differences  between 
men  and  women — Each  complemental  to  the  other,  and 
complete  only  when  mated — The  three  theories  regard- 
ing coition — The  correct  theory — The  physical  cost  of 
procreation — Illustrated  in  insects,  animals  and  man — 
What  is  excess — Effects  of  marital  continence — The  hus- 
band's duty  to  his  wife — Physical  defects  and  deficien- 
cies of  husband  or  wife — Misery  entailed  by  vice — Effects 
upon  wife — Upon  children — Purity  and  fidelity. 
PART  II 

WHAT  HE  OUGHT  TO  KNOW  CONCERNING  HIS  WIFE 
I     THE  BRIDE 

Marriage  the  most  trying  event  in  a  woman's  life — 
Earliest  mistake  which  most  young  husbands  make — 
Few  intelligent  guardians  of^  their  brides — Threefold 
classification  of  women— Causes  of  differences. 

H      THE  WIFE 

Her  manifold  duties  as  wife,  mother  and  housekeeper 
— God  has  fitted  her  for  her  sphere — The  mother-nature 
— Barrenness  and  sterility — Physical,  social,  intellectual 
and  moral  benefits  of  motherhood  and  fatherhood — 
Aversion  and  evasion — God's  purpose  in  marriage — l,ini- 
itation  of  offspring — Marital  excess — The  wrongs  which 
wives  suffer  because  of  ignorant  and  unthinking  hus- 
bands— Repellant  periods  in  the  life  of  woman. 

Ill     THE    MOTHER 

Purposed  and  prepared  parenthood — Conception — The 
marvels  of  fcEtal  life  and  growth — Changes  during  the 
months  of  gestation — The  husband's  duty  to  wife  and 
offspring — What  the  wife  has  a  right  to  expect  before 
and  during  confinement — Ignorant,  unthinking  and  un- 
sympathetic husbands — The  child  in  the  home — Real 
life  and  genuine  happiness — The  mother  while  nursing 
— Protecuon  of  child  from  impure  nurses. 

PART  III 
WHAT  HE  OUGHT  TO  KNOW  CONCERNING  HIS  CHILDREN 

Heredity — Prenatal  influences  —  Physical  conditions 
prior  to  and  at  conception — Stirpiculture — Essentials  of 
seed,  soil  and  care — "I<ongings,"  markings,  etc. — Can 
sex  of  offspring  be  governed — Cause  of  idiocy — Blind- 
ness, etc. — The  right  to  be  well-born — Parental  di.scipline 
during  first  two  years — Duties  during  childhood — Nur- 
sery influences — Honest  answers  to  honest  inquiries — 
How  to  secure  purity  in  thought  and  life  of  children. 

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*'What  a  Man  of  Forty-five  Ought 
to  Know/' 

BY  SYLVANUS  STALL,  D.  D. 
Condeosed  Table  of  Gmtents 

PART  I 
WHAT  HE  OUGHT  TO  KNOW  CONCERNING 
HIMSEIvF 
Prevalent  ignorance  concerning  physical  changes  in 
men  of  middle-life — Sad  results  of  such  ignorance — Rea- 
sons for  change — Evidences  of  these  changes — Husband 
and  wife  constitute  a  reproductive  unit — The  two  na- 
tures responsive  in  activity  and  repose — Somewhat  sim- 
ilar changes  in  both — The  age  at  which  climacteric  or 
"change  of  life"  occurs  in  men — Climacteric  and  adoles- 
cence contrasted — The  testimony  of  medical  men  to  the 
fact — Only  young  men  need  the  testimonials  of  authori- 
ties— Old  ,  men  know  it — Compensations  which  follow 
the  sexual  hush — Physical  and  mental  effects — Changes 
more  gradual  than  in  women — Many  men  intellectually 
at  their  best  after  sexual  hush — To  them  time  and  ex- 
perience open  their  richest  treasures — Moderation  in 
all  things  enjoined — Sexual  moderation  emphasized — 
Virility,  how  destroyed,  how  preserved — Effects  of  exer- 
cise, food,  stimulants,  sleep,  employment,  etc. — Func- 
tional disorders — Benefit  of  intelligence — Enlargement 
of  the  prostate  gland — Manifestations,  cause  and  pre- 
cautionary measures — The  marriage  of  men  of  middle 
life — Physical  unfitness  and  effects — Rights  of  the  un- 
born— The  years  beyond — The  man  at  forty  determines 
what  the  man  at  eighty  shall  be — Value  of  purpose  to 
keep  strong  and  bright — Examples. 
PART  II 
WHAT  HE  OUGHT  TO  KNOW  CONCERNING 

HIS  WIFE 
Reproduction  the  primal  purpose  of  marriage — At- 
tractive and  repellent  periods  in  life  of  woman — Climac- 
teric or  change  of  life  the  most  repellent  period — Dis- 
appearance of  menstruation  only  an  outward  manifesta- 
tion— The  phenomenon  explained — Reasons  for  change 
made  plain — Not  a  period  of  stress  for  all  women — How 
to  meet  the  menopause — Occupation,  diet,  fresh  air,  ex- 
ercise, sleep,  companionship,  sexual  repose,  etc.,  etc. — 
Mortality  and  insanity  greater  among  men — The  aches 
and  ills  which  attend  the  menopause — Aversion  to  hus- 
band, children  and  friends — Physical  changes  which  at- 
tend and  follow  change  of  life  in  women — Modified  sex- 
ual nature — Growths — Mental  changes  and  conditions- 
Need  of  intelligence  upon  the  part  of  husband  and 
others.  

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'**  What  a  Man  of  Forty-five  Ought 
to  Know*' 


PRAISED    BY   THE    PRESS 


"  We  do  not  hesitate  to  recommend." — Experience. 

"A  reliable  and  instructive  guide  in  sexual  matters 
and  yet  pure  and  chaste  in  siyXc."— Journal  of  Derma- 
tology. 

"  Information  of  vital  importance.'' — Pittsburgh  Chris- 
tian Advocate. 

"Written  in  an  honest,  frank  and  fearless  way." — 
Christian  Standard. 

"  It  is  a  clean  book  which  one  should  sit  down  to 
alone." — The  Evangelist. 

"  These  books  deserve  to  be  circulated  by  the  million." 
— Leslie's  IVeekly. 

"To  many  men  the  guidance  of  this  book  will  be  a 
timely  benediction." — Chicago  Appeal. 

"The  utterance  of  one  who  has  an  accurate  knowledge 
of  men." — Brooklyn  Citizen. 

"  It  is  a  helpful  book  and  in  all  important  particulars 
sound  in  its  medical  statements." — Baltimore  Sutt. 

"This  book  is  recommendable  not  only  to  the  intelli- 
gent layman  to  read  himself  and  hand  to  others,  but 
also  to  the  physician,  who  ought  to  welcome  it  as  a 
means  to  refresh  an  important  part  of  his  physiologic 
knowledge. ' ' — A  Ikaloidal  Clinic. 

"  A  man  who  is  a  fool  at  forty-five  (and  there  are  many 
of  them)  is  pretty  hard  to  manage.  There  are  certain 
things  which  he  ought  to  know  without  being  told,  but 
it  is  difficult  to  teach  him  these  things.  He  needs  rea- 
soning with  and  plain  talking  to.  This  book  does  it  in 
a  healthy,  elevating  manner.  These  cases  are  often 
very  troublesome  to  the  phy.sician.  It  would  be  well  to 
have  this  book  handy  to  lend  to  such  patients.  This 
course  will  help  the  physician  to  manage  his  patient  and 
help  the  patient.  This  book  will  do  much  good.  There 
has  been  a  need  for  just  such  a  work." — Medical  World. 


..iiky  3^9'B 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


lOOM  11/86  Series  9482 


3  1205  00947  3149 


A  A      000120  441     1 


